U-M Health-Sparrow facility approved in Grand Ledge

The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a $32 million U-M Health-Sparrow location near Grand Ledge, Michigan. The new 45,000 square-foot facility will include a range of services including urgent care, primary care, specialty care, retail pharmacy and advanced imaging. The Board of Regents approved the property purchase for $1,995,000 and U-M Health-Sparrow resources will fund the expansion at the site of a former car dealership. 

As Grand Ledge grows, community members have expressed a need for increased health care access and quality. Connie O’Malley, regional chief operating officer of U-M Health, spoke in an interview with The Michigan Daily about the decision making process behind the Grand Ledge facility.

“The goal of the Grand Ledge site is to make sure that we provide (the) right care at the right time, in the right place for our patients that live in that area,” O’Malley said. “We really want to expand services. … We’ve gotten requests for additional services in that area, and we believe that there is a need.”

Plans for the new site include practicing environmental sustainability in line with standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. According to O’Malley, LEED certification is important because it is a way of setting a standard of sustainability within the community.

“(For) all of our new builds, we are really focusing on making sure that we are LEED certified as a responsible organization within our community that really emphasizes environmental sustainability principles and expectations,” O’Malley said. “We really strive to focus on this for all of our services, everything from recycling to water usage to lighting and the use of our utilities.” 

Stacie Bommersbach, regional associate chief quality officer of U-M Health, told The Daily that U-M facilities hold high quality standards. 

“U-M Health requires specific quality standards that we need to meet as we provide care to our patients,” Bommersbach said. “Our teams strive for top decile in quality and patient satisfaction, and we are held to these parameters for the care that we provide to our patients.”

Art & Design junior Jenna Downs, who is from Grand Ledge, said the new facility could be useful to the city’s residents. 

“I think it is great that these large health facilities are being built in Grand Ledge, specifically because people from more rural areas surrounding the town come to Grand Ledge for essential care,” Downs said. “I think that the facility has a great opportunity to connect with Grand Ledge, as it is a growing community.”

O’Malley explained the next steps regarding the construction process. She mentioned that the construction team has made significant progress on the site to ensure the facility is ready for its anticipated opening in the winter of 2027.

“We have a groundbreaking set for Nov. 7, so you’ll see lots of activity happening on the site, on our ground that date and after that,” O’Malley said. “(Demolition) should be complete through January of ’25 and construction work — site work, is already underway as we speak.”

Daily News Contributor Kaelyn Sourya can be reached at ksourya@umich.edu.

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