Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and Michigan State University partner to expand pediatric specialty care in Lansing

Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and Michigan State University are partnering to expand pediatric services for patients and families in Lansing by opening a new pediatric specialty clinic.

For the past eight years, three Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital pediatric cardiologists have been serving the greater Lansing area full time. This cardiology practice will be moving to a new location at 3960 Patient Care Drive effective March 1. They will be joined on a rotating basis by several additional Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital specialists in the areas of gastroenterology, nephrology, pulmonology, plastic surgery and neurosurgery. MSU will bring specialists in genetics, infectious disease, endocrinology and general pediatrics to see patients in the new clinic. More information about the clinic is available at lansing.helendevoschildrens.org.

“We are pleased to partner with MSU in serving the families of Lansing and expanding the specialized pediatric services available here,” said Bob Connors, MD, president, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “Together, our pediatric specialists can offer care close to home for these children while coordinating ongoing care with their pediatricians and primary care providers.”

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital also plans to recruit Lansing-based specialists in ear, nose and throat (ENT) and pediatric sleep medicine. The partnership also includes adding a full-time pediatric researcher, based on campus in East Lansing, to expand pediatric research in Lansing and statewide.

“Strengthening our partnership with our Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital colleagues will enable us to improve access to pediatric specialty services in Lansing and to expand pediatric research in Lansing, Grand Rapids and our other College of Human Medicine campuses throughout the state,” said Keith English, MD, chair, Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, MSU College of Human Medicine.

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, based in Grand Rapids, is a nationally recognized, statewide referral and teaching center and one of only 220 children’s hospitals in the nation. Its 200 pediatric physicians practice in more than 50 specialties and programs providing care throughout Michigan.

“We are pleased to be working side-by-side with MSU in providing pediatric care and look forward to collaborating with other partners in the Lansing community going forward,” said Dr. Connors. “Our goal is to provide high-quality care and an exceptional experience for children and their parents.”

An important community resource, the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital provides care to every child, regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

About Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

About Spectrum Health
Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system, based in West Michigan, offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of 12 hospitals, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; 188 ambulatory and service sites; more than 3,400 physicians and advanced practice providers, including nearly 1,400 members of the Spectrum Health Medical Group; and Priority Health, a health plan with about 710,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer, with 24,100 employees. The organization provided $283 million in community benefit during its 2015 fiscal year. Spectrum Health is the only health system in Michigan to be named one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems® by Truven Health Analytics for 2015. This is the fourth time the organization has received this recognition.