New $60M children’s rehab hospital coming to West Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WILX) - Governor Gretchen Whitmer was in Grand Rapids on Tuesday to announce a project that will help Michigan families with children in need of rehabilitation.

Mary Free Bed is teaming up with Spectrum Health to build the state’s first children’s rehab hospital at its Grand Rapids campus. The new hospital will be built right across From Mary Free Bed’s existing campus.

A $60 million project, the hospital will not only be the first of its kind in Michigan but just the ninth in the country. It will specialize in helping kids with birth defects, and recovering from diseases, or traumatic injuries.

“We need a more kid-friendly environment,” said Dr. Douglas Henry of Mary Free Bed. “With that, we can provide a deeper, richer care for these kids and the families.”

The 2023 state budget includes $10 million for the hospital. The help from the state is the project’s first grant. The hospital hopes to get the rest of the $60 million by next year.

“Being here at Mary Free Bed really clarifies why we do this work,” Gov. Whitmer said. “All of our work in Lansing is about delivering real results for Michiganders.”

The CEO of Mary Free Bed hopes to start construction by the end of the year.

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