Chelsea Community Hospital Embarks on $60 Million Renovation

Chelsea Community Hospital is beginning a $60 million renovation to build a new two-story wing, convert all its semiprivate rooms to private rooms and change the main entrance of the hospital that is licensed for 113 beds.

The Chelsea project also includes a new emergency department, diagnostic imaging center and renovation of the cardiopulmonary and physical therapy areas, said Kathleen Griffiths, Chelsea’s CEO.

It is part of $161 million in construction projects announced this year by the St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor.

In the past nine months, Southeast Michigan’s seven major health care systems have announced or have begun about $2.4 billion in hospital construction projects.

Last year, St. Joseph completed the acquisition of Chelsea for an unspecified amount. St. Joseph, which operates six hospitals in Southeast Michigan and one in Port Huron, is a subsidiary of Novi-based Trinity Health, a 43-hospital Roman Catholic system.

One of the reasons given for the merger with St. Joseph was access to capital to support future facility improvements and an electronic medical record system, Griffiths said.

Griffiths said the hospital’s first step is to send out request for proposals to architectural firms and construction managers later this month.

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SOURCE: Crain’s Detroit