Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital Makes Progress on $8.72 Million Surgical Facility Expansion

ZEELAND, Mich., June 14, 2021 – Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital’s new $8.72 million surgical facility expansion is on schedule for completion by the end of the year. Construction of the 9,100 square foot addition, with renovation of an additional 5,000 square feet of existing space, began last September and is being built in partnership with Spectrum Health Foundation at Zeeland and local donors.

“We moved into the current hospital campus from the former Pine Street location 15 years ago this past April,” shared Joe Klesney, chief operating officer, Zeeland Community Hospital. “Since that time we have been expanding services, acquiring advanced equipment, renovating spaces and modernizing most aspects of care to meet the progressing needs of the community. This is, however, the first expansion in which we have had to change the actual footprint of our campus.”

Beginning September 21, 2020, Phase I of the project involved adding a two-story, 9,100 square foot addition to the back of the main hospital building. The first level of this space was designed to include a covered loading dock and mail room. It also contains expanded storage for sterile and non-sterile supplies, linen and groundskeeping equipment.

The new main floor, which encompasses the hospital lobby and surgical department, has been designed with specific attention to patient access, convenience and safety. The renovated lobby registration area will set a welcoming stage for the surgical experience.

Within the enhanced surgery department, there will be a private surgical waiting room, which includes a nourishment area for family or loved ones to wait comfortably. It will also feature private family consult rooms, a dedicated C-section procedure room and an expanded post anesthesia care unit (PACU) with a dedicated PACU for obstetrics and pediatrics. Additionally, there will be an expanded operating room that will feature leading-edge technology and equipment necessary for more sophisticated procedures.

“The Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Board approved this project because we recognized the need to provide better and more efficient care to patients with greater convenience, more privacy and added safety measures,” explained Ulli Bowen, board chair. “The driving factor was the critical need for a dedicated cesarean-section suite.”

Currently, planned C-sections are routinely scheduled in one of three operating rooms. Emergent C-sections are completed on a priority basis, sometimes delaying other planned surgical cases. The new C-section procedure room will be solely dedicated, prepared, and ready for a scheduled or emergent C-section.

Reflecting a national shift from inpatient to outpatient care, surgeries that traditionally took days to recover in the hospital are now discharging the same day. Currently, more than 70% of surgical patient care at Zeeland Community Hospital occurs in an outpatient setting.

“Advancements in technology through the da Vinci® Surgical System (robotic surgery) and other improvements make common surgeries less invasive, allowing patients to heal quicker and at home where they would rather be,” commented Thomas Visser, MD, Zeeland Community Hospital’s chief of surgery. “Zeeland Community Hospital has worked hard to bring and keep those services local, so patients avoid traveling far from home. Our updated surgical unit is the natural next step in offering our patients the most convenient care possible. It shows people how committed Zeeland Community Hospital is to the community.”

In addition to patient benefits, the surgical team is looking forward to updated workstations, increased storage space for equipment and supplies and larger patient rooms to offer new families a more peaceful environment following a C-section.

“Our outstanding team is dedicated to providing safe, exceptional care to each surgical patient we treat,” said Marnie Pierce, surgical services manager, Zeeland Community Hospital. “To now have the facility upgraded to match the caliber of our caregivers is a dream. We’re excited that leadership and the board recognized the need, and we can’t wait to start working in this space.”

As construction crews work toward a December completion date, fundraising efforts are in the homestretch, bolstered by a recent anonymous $100,000 matching gift toward the final amount needed for the project.

“With this very generous, matching gift, we’re that much closer to reaching our philanthropy goal for the project,” said Kris Palosaari, Zeeland Foundation Director. “Our community has been incredibly generous and excited about the surgery expansion. Since we are well over halfway to our goal, this $100,000 match will be a great catalyst to get us to the finish line. We urge anyone who would like to contribute and take advantage of the matching gift opportunity to do so. You will be impacting lives and helping us reach our goal.”

“The new addition is designed with current and future patients in mind,” Klesney added. “The benefits of this space align with and support the Spectrum Health mission of improving health, inspiring hope and saving lives.”

Klesney said the December completion date is on schedule. Planning for grand opening festivities is underway. Virtual platforms may be used depending on guidelines for COVID-19 safety.

If you would like to donate to the project, please call Kris Palosaari at 616.970.7105 or visit give.spectrumhealth.org/zeeland/surgery.

People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 60,000+ dedicated people—including more than 11,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,000 nurses providing care and services in 21 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.3 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness. For more information, visit corewellhealth.org.

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Alexis Bolo Neal
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Email: alexis.boloneal@corewellhealth.org