New ProMedica hospital in Frenchtown off; updates planned at current site

ProMedica is changing directions in Monroe County.

Plans to build a new hospital in Frenchtown Township have been canceled, ProMedica announced Tuesday. Instead, the Toledo-based health care system said it will invest in an expansion and renovation of its current location in at 718 N. Macomb St. in Monroe.

"Over the last year, we've really carefully evaluated and reviewed our existing hospital services top to bottom, including our current site," said Darrin Arquette, president of ProMedica Monroe. "Based on this prioritization of needs and with the goal of regaining our economic stability and viability here at this hospital, we plan to shift our strategy away from building an entirely new hospital to a new vision that will help transform care here in Monroe."

Arquette said that an evaluation of the hospital's needs over the past year highlighted the facility's inpatient rooms as the greatest area of concern. Over the past six months, the health care system shifted its conversation toward improving its current operations in Monroe rather than building a brand new facility.

"Other areas of the facility need renovation, which we'll provide, but very few are to the point where they need to be wiped clean and rebuilt. But our inpatient beds, our inpatient rooms, that's what's really lacking," Arquette said.

ProMedica plans to construct a new patient tower at the hospital's current site. The project, dubbed "The Cornerstone Project," will expand inpatient facilities in Monroe with state-of-the-art beds and private rooms. Arquette compared the project to a similar facility at ProMedica Toledo Hospital − a 13-story tower with 309 private rooms that opened in July 2019.

"It will be modern with private rooms and other enhancements that will really improve patient care and meet and exceed patient expectations," he said. "It will also contain space for future expansion for different programs and services."

Arquette said the tower likely will be built directly off Macomb Street, though the total number of floors and how many rooms it will add are unknown and a start date is still several years in the future. ProMedica will not need to purchase any additional property to accommodate the structure, he added.

"We've done this type of approach before," said Arquette. "(Toledo) had the same issue with their inpatient rooms being older and lacking a modern feel. They implemented the Generations Tower and it's a beautiful facility that has met and exceeded patient expectations. It's been very successful. We're going to adopt that same strategy here."

ProMedica Monroe currently has 130 inpatient rooms which will go through renovations as part of the project, Arquette said. Renovations of the emergency center will also be a main priority, along with additional clinic and office space and updates to basic hospital infrastructure.

The proposed site of the canceled hospital was at 1500 N. Dixie Highway in Frenchtown Township, the former River Raisin Golf Club. The health care system purchased the 240-acre property in 2016 and initially planned to break ground the following year.

The project was met with delays that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, ProMedica reaffirmed its commitment to the project and announced groundbreaking would begin in 2024.

"The dynamics of health care have changed dramatically over the last several years with the pandemic and the pressures on the industry as a whole," said Arquette. "The financial fallout that you hear about in the health care industry that's occurring caused our hospitals to reassess and reevaluate."

Frenchtown Township Clerk Kyle Brant said the township was informed of the ProMedica's plans Tuesday afternoon.

"We're obviously disappointed. That would've been a great spot for a hospital and having a hospital within our township would've been a great benefit to our residents," Brant said. "However, we understand the financial constraints that led to ProMedica's decision and we plan on working with them as partners to find a suitable future use for the site."

The site, Brant said, will become something that is a good fit for the community, that the residents will appreciate and fits the theme of that corridor.

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"We're glad to still have (ProMedica) in Monroe County," said Brant. "And the addition they plan for their current facility will be great for the community at large."

ProMedica plans to immediately put the property up for sale and work with Frenchtown on its transition in order "to help expedite the addition of future jobs, future business, and further economic development and growth for the area," Arquette said.

The city of Monroe said it is thrilled to have ProMedica continue its investment in the city.

"We're happy that they decided to reinvest in the property that has served them and the region well for so many years," said David Robinson, Monroe city manager. "We're happy they decided to stay here and still serve the region from where they're at."

ProMedica's investment in its current facility will begin as early as next year with the addition of a new $2 million cardiac catheterization lab. Arquette said they expect the lab to be up and running by the second quarter of 2024.

ProMedica Monroe also announced the hiring of three new physicians. Dr. Michelle Scheurich in family medicine/obstetrics, Dr. Deepanvita Kalvala in family medicine/geriatrics and Dr. Khyati Patel in psychology will start next month.

"We have a mission at ProMedica to improve health and well-being and we made a commitment to the community about eight years ago to provide updated health care services here, so we're making a significant investment," said Arquette. "We think this is an economically prudent approach to modernize our facility here and provide the services that patients need and want.

"We want to remain a community hospital and this is really going to help us achieve that goal."

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: ProMedica Monroe changes plans for new hospital, will reinvest at current site