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MLIVE: Inside the University of Michigan’s new $40M Ypsilanti Health Center

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, toured the University of Michigan’s new $40 million Ypsilanti Health Center Wednesday.

Construction is nearly complete on the new downtown facility at 300 W. Michigan Ave. in the former Eastern Michigan University College of Business. University of Michigan regents agreed in 2022 to lease the space for 15 years from technology incubator MI-HQ and invest more than $35 million in leaseholder renovations to three of the building’s five floors.

Hospital leaders say the investment will allow UM Health to expand its services in the city, more than tripling the footprint of its former location at 200 Arnet St. Construction is on schedule to be complete in mid-April, with the first patients expected in early May.

The building’s fourth and fifth floors will serve as adult and pediatric clinics, while a portion of the building’s ground floor will house a radiology clinic and an additional $6 million program designed to help adolescents with emotional and behavioral health challenges.

Dingell toured the space Wednesday with UM Health President David Miller and Tony Denton, senior vice president and chief environmental, social and governance officer for UM Health as well as Dr. Ebony Parker-Featherstone, medical director for Ypsilanti Community Health.

Expanded clinical space will allow the center to serve about 20,000 more patients each year, while the blood processing lab and new radiology space will offer patients same-day results and improved accessibility. In the past, patients receiving primary care at the Ypsilanti center would need a referral for some of those services.

The new clinics occupy the perimeter of the building’s upper floors and feature wall-to-wall windows and murals designed by a local interior decorator. The new space was intentionally laid out to make it easier for patients to access their primary care doctors and specialists and get lab work done in one spot.

“Things like labs really matter,” Miller said. “Patients want to be able to get them the same day and not have to make another drive to do that.”

“It’s an investment in community,” Denton added. “It’s more comprehensive and more reflective of our other large health centers. You’ll have a better experience because you can do more locally - closer to where you live.”

Parker-Featherstone said the health center carefully considered which services to offer in the new space. Mobility was a major consideration; the new building is located opposite the Ypsilanti Transit Center.

“We’ve been more intentional to have an eye toward accessibility in this space,” she said. “We looked at what the high health burdens, needs and gaps in care were… We’re hoping to meet the need of the local market.”

Services offered at the new location will include family medicine, geriatrics, urology, behavioral health, cardiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, endocrinology, and women’s health, among others.

Other key additions include an expanded food pantry, which will be open to the public, and a state-of-the-art facility for on-site sanitation of linens, which previously had to be shipped to an off-site facility.

Dingell toured each room, remarking on the importance of community health services in light of possible Trump administration cuts to Medicaid and other sources of federal funding for hospitals.

“If you’re sick, you should be able to go to the doctor and get the help you need, and Medicaid is a big part of that,” Dingell said. “This is an investment in community, ensuring that everybody’s going to have access to quality health care. I think that’s a right for any human being in this country.”

CLICK ON DETROIT: Current timeline for project that will put overpass at busy Downriver railroad crossing

Officials announced the next steps that will take place to put an overpass at a busy railroad crossing that causes delays for residents and emergency vehicles in Downriver communities.

The road grade separation project is happening at the railroad crossing on M-85 in Trenton.

Rep. Debbie Dingell and the Michigan Department of Transportation along with local and state legislators said that a preliminary engineering and environmental clearance process is necessary to consider all of the options and choose the best solution, according to a release.

Officials expect this initial process to take about 24 months.

Once they determine this, the final design process is expected to take another 24 months.

“For too long, Downriver communities have been dealing with the inconveniences and safety concerns of at-grade railroad intersections, including impeded emergency vehicles and school buses that travel over this rail crossing each day. Currently, police, ambulances, emergency services, and residents deal with significant wait times when trains are passing,” Dingell said. “Building an overpass will improve mobility, reduce emissions, and make this intersection safer. I will work with our state and local leaders as this overpass is constructed, and I remain committed to delivering federal funding to our district to upgrade our infrastructure and improve our communities.”

The project is expected to improve safety and mobility in the area, reduce traffic delays, better emergency response times and eliminate train-vehicle crashes.

Officials will ask for public input throughout the design process, according to the release.

This update on the next steps for the project comes after it was announced earlier this month that the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $73,446,704 to MDOT for this project.

“This crossing, like many across Downriver, has caused headaches for residents, first responders, and local businesses for decades. With this federal funding, we are continuing to put our communities first by investing in our infrastructure and delivering real change to our region,” said Sen. Darrin Camilleri. “This project, in addition to the Allen Road Grade Separation, will not only remedy frustrating delays for our neighbors but also save lives by ensuring that our police, fire and EMS are not blocked from responding to emergencies. I’m grateful for the advocacy and determination of Congresswoman Dingell, Mayor Rzeppa, and our partners at MDOT who are helping to solve one of the foremost challenges here in Downriver.”

The update also comes as the Trump administration moved to freeze federal funding aid. A judge temporarily blocked the order just before it was set to take effect on Tuesday, Jan. 28, through at least 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3.

“So, it’s been an interesting eight days and I’m going to be positive and say to you that I hope President Trump will not disappoint this community by trying to revoke these funds that have been promised, planned for, and are already working...these dollars make a difference in communities, they’re not partisan dollars, they’re dollars that help everybody,” Dingell said during the press conference.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general on Tuesday in filing a lawsuit to stop the implementation of the order.