GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids healthcare leaders are celebrating what they call a "transformational financial gift" from the DeVos Family Foundation to support pediatric health in West Michigan, totaling $50 million.
Leaders from Corewell Health, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation and Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, along with Doug DeVos and other DeVos family shared details about the financial gift Monday morning.
CEOs from these three organizations explained how they'll use the investment across medical, rehabilitative and mental health sectors in the region.
"Our family is incredibly grateful for the compassionate pediatric experts who are devoted to transforming the lives of children in remarkable ways," said Doug DeVos. "We hope this gift will increase further collaboration between these individuals and organizations to advance medical, rehabilitative and mental health care for kids.”
Most of the funds will be used to focus on the health needs of children.
The largest amount, $40 million, will go towards Helen DeVos Children's Hospital to expand the Comprehensive Care Program and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
The gift will also be used to support a dedicated team for their new 12-bed inpatient medical psychiatry unit and to recruit and retain nurses of all levels of certification. It will pay for a breast milk donation and distribution center, which officials say will be lifesaving for NICU babies.
Half of the gift will be used as an endowment for the Child and Family Life Team. It will support nearly 40 certified professionals, including child life specialists and assistants, music and art therapists and teachers to provide children with the comforts of home while in the hospital.
Another $5 million of the funds will help build the Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital at Mary Free Bed. It'll be fully dedicated to support children as they heal from injuries.
It's planned to open in 2026. The hospital will help serve 2,000 to 2,500 additional children each year and increase capacity for outpatient visits by 20 percent.
The remaining $5 million is allocated to the Pine Rest to construct their Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health. Also expected to open in 2026, it will expand access to inpatient and partial hospitalization, outpatient care and behavioral health testing services for children and teens throughout the state.
Officials say the new facility is necessary as the need for mental health support for youth grew following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are many amazing things that will occur at these great medical facilities, yet we know it is really about the special people who inhabit these spaces. We couldn’t be more appreciative of all that the area medical professionals do every single day to support kids and families," said Cheri DeVos.
In 2023, Mary Free Bed and Corewell Health announced they'll build a state-of-the-art pediatric rehabilitation hospital that will be the first of its kind in Michigan.
Their joint venture will be named in honor of Joan Secchia and will be located on Wealthy Street across from Mary Free Bed's main campus. The $60 million project is funded through a public-private fundraising partnership.
The project will take about two years to complete, with a groundbreaking on construction planned for spring of 2024 and completion expected by 2026.
Corewell Health recently announced plans to open a new unit at the Grand Rapids hospital this spring to treat behavioral health patients that have complex medical histories.
Located within Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, the 12-bed unit will offer patients care from a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, medical physicians, social workers, child life specialists, nurses, chaplains and pharmacists.
Last summer, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services announced a 40-bed expansion to the Pediatric Behavioral Health Center to help address children's mental health.
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