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Spectrum Health is celebrating the completion of the two year $98 million Blodgett Hospital expansion and renovation project.

Hospital officials and community leaders gathered to dedicate the “new” Blodgett Hospital today. A community open house including hospital tours will be held on Saturday, September 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Blodgett Hospital is now equipped to continue its legacy of quality care in this community,” said Matt Van Vranken, executive vice president, Spectrum Health System and president, Spectrum Health Hospital Group. “This hospital represents the best in community-based teaching hospitals and will for generations to come.”

A 158,000-square-foot, four-story patient care addition was constructed adjacent to the existing hospital facing Wealthy Street. It will officially open to patients on October 10.

The project also included:

• 132 private rooms in the new addition combined with 152 rooms in the existing hospital for a total of 284.
• 8 new operating rooms. When all renovation is completed, Blodgett Hospital will have 14 state-of-the-art operating rooms.
• Renovated emergency department
• 36-bed post-anesthesia care unit or PACU – one of the largest in the country
• Renovation of nursing stations to allow for better patient interaction and monitoring
• Remodeled public and service areas, including the hospital’s east lobby and Professional Office Building east lobby
• Revitalized public meeting spaces and new elevators
• A complete overhaul of infrastructure systems including the roof, electrical, heating and sprinkler systems
• Improved parking areas, including the parking ramp and surface level lot

“We have watched a metamorphosis of a facility, which is steeped in a rich history and heritage, as it has been transformed into a hospital for the 21st century. Today we celebrate the Blodgett Hospital of the future,” said James Wilson, president, Blodgett Hospital. “The new Blodgett Hospital addresses today’s medicine, today’s patient and family needs, and today’s state-of-the-art technology.”

Wilson said that future renovations are planned for the hospital’s kitchen and cafeteria and the Professional Office Building. These projects are expected to be completed in the next 18 months.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan that offers a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, a collection of eight hospitals and more than 170 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group, mmpc® and West Michigan Heart—physician groups totaling more than 500 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with nearly 580,000 members. Spectrum Health’s 16,000 employees, 1,500 medical staff members and 2,000 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care. The organization provided $79.4 million in community benefit during its 2009 fiscal year. In 2010, Spectrum Health was named a Top 10 Health System by Thomson Reuters.