GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Construction has begun on a new Spectrum Health long term care and rehabilitation facility in Grand Rapids. At the corner of Cedar and Fuller, the previously empty 10-acre lot will be home to the $37 million, 94-thousand-square-foot care center.
The facility will cater mostly to patients who need around-the-clock care. Another Spectrum development on Leftingwell is set to open in November. Once the Cedar street location is complete, the pair will replace Spectrum's existing Fuller Street location, and add 20 functional patient beds in the process.
"Every patient has a window to the outside, every patient has a footwall and privacy. Compared to what our patients have at the Fuller location right now, it’ll be like moving into a Cadillac facility," said Chad Tuttle, Senior Vice President of post-acute and hospital operations with Spectrum Health.
Tuttle said that once construction wraps up in Spring of 2024, the building on Fuller will revert back to Kent County's ownership.
Neighbors we spoke to had minor concerns about the environmental impact, specifically related to the population of deer and turkeys that previously resided in the wooded lot.
Tuttle said environmental impact surveys did not show any negative impact, especially since officials will aim to re-landscape the facility and add multiple courtyards for patients to have access to nature with some added privacy.
Another critical piece of the Cedar Street development will be in-house dialysis treatment. Tuttle said patients in need of the treatment often have to be transported to separate centers as many as three times each week. Having those specialized treatments in the building will cut down on transportation, and allow patients to receive care from the same team instead of working with physicians less familiar with their needs.
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