Metro Health Hospital


Metro Health Hospital is a LEED certified hospital located in Wyoming, Michigan off of M-6 near U.S. Route 131. Located within the Metro Health Village, it is the main hospital for Metro Health: University of Michigan Health and functions as a teaching osteopathic medicine hospital. It serves more than 130,000 people in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area and is one of the only hospitals in the area that is not located in or near the Grand Rapids Medical Mile.

History

Founding

In the 1940s, Louis M. Monger, an osteopathic physician who had been working at the Detroit Osteopathic Hospital, sought to introduce osteopathic care to the residents of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Monger and a group of osteopathic physicians decided to set aside their personal resources to create a hospital dedicated to holistic care. It was decided to purchase the previous home of the bishop serving for the Diocese of Grand Rapids at 1225 Lake Drive in Grand Rapids, MI and nearly $50,000 was raised to equip the hospital. After some delays due to rationing during World War II, Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital opened in December 1942 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Andrew Taylor Still's creation of osteopathic education.
The hospital's first patient was Louisa Porcelli, wife of the hospital's Secretary-Treasurer James V. Porcelli, DO, who gave birth to their first child in the nearly finished hospital. Louisa had to be carried up the stairs and placed in the only functioning room in the hospital.

Metropolitan Hospital

In 1958, the Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital moved to 1919 Boston SE Grand Rapids, MI. The hospital was originally equipped with only 28 beds. By the late 1970s, the hospital had grown to include over 200 beds. After decades of growth, the hospital was renamed Metropolitan Hospital so it could be represent the multiple specialties now working with patients.
By the 1990s, Metropolitan Hospital was seeking to expand. On December 2, 1996, the hospital's president and CEO Michael Faas unveiled a new organization called Metro Health, with the hospital partnering with over 130 physicians to create clinics throughout western Michigan. In May 1999, a $40 million proposal to expand that included the purchase and destruction of 55 homes in the area was opposed by residents in the area. By October 2000, Spectrum Health was expanding throughout the area while the hospital still lacked neighborhood support, resulting in a decision to construct a new facility elsewhere.

Metro Health Hospital

On March 12, 2001, it was announced that the hospital was attempting to purchase 150 acres in Wyoming, MI to create a "health care village". The decision was made after years of remaining landlocked on its 17 acre property in Grand Rapids with residents denying expansion. The site was located near three major freeways; M-6, U.S. 131 and I-196, situated among the growing suburban area outside of Grand Rapids. It was chosen after studying population growth patterns and because of its size, which would allow the hospital to make multiple expansions.
In 2009, the University of Michigan Health System and the Metro Health Cancer Center initially began a partnership with cancer treatment. Over time, clinical relationships began to develop between the two entities. On December 15, 2016, Metro Health officially announced its affiliation with the University of Michigan Health System. With the University of Michigan Health System having some of the most advanced resources and expertise in the United States, patients are able to receive more specialized treatment at the hospital.

Services

Metro Health Hospital has an emergency department certified as a level II trauma center, child birth services, neurosciences, medical care, surgical care, intensive care, and diagnostic/imaging services. Its specialty services include cardiac care, stroke center, joint replacement, neurosurgery, assisted breathing center, sports medicine and wound care.

Accreditations