Key Takeaways:
- Henry Ford Health will create a $2.5-billion-dollar connected community around the headquarters it shares with the Detroit Pistons in New Center.
- The true health status of a community requires meeting not only physical needs, but mental, economic, education, and safety needs.
- Henry Ford Health entered a 30-year partnership with MSU to lead research on cutting-edge science at the new facility.
In February, Henry Ford Health announced a $2.5-billion-dollar vision to create a connected community around the headquarters it shares with the Detroit Pistons in New Center. Focused on groundbreaking medical research, the extension of Henry Ford Hospital will also feature a joint research facility with Michigan State University. The design is intended to be the “gateway to Downtown Detroit,” boasting multi-income residential housing, dining, retail, and greenspace.
Henry Ford Health believes they have an obligation to elevate the health of their communities. President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Riney said. “‘Healthy population’ is a term in health care that requires a holistic view. The true health status of a community requires more than meeting their physical needs – it requires meeting their mental needs, their economic health, education health, and security and safety health.”
This is a huge task for one organization, so strategic partnerships are the key to success.
The Detroit Pistons have been a partner to Henry Ford Health since 2017. Riney remarked to Arn Tellem, the Pistons Sports and Entertainment Vice Chairman and the Chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber Board of Directors.
“I can’t find a professional sports team in the country that has leaned into a community in a more deep and meaningful way than you,” Riney said.
Tellem replied that it was always his vision to move the team from Auburn Hills to Detroit. He said, “if we do it, it’s not just to play games there. We want to build a home and make an impact in the city and participate in Detroit’s rebirth and revival.”
He also pointed out that joining the Henry Ford Hospital and the Pistons’ facility is beneficial to both the surrounding community, and the professional athletes who need top-tier health care to perform at their best.
In addition to the Detroit Pistons, Henry Ford Health recently entered a 30-year partnership with Michigan State University, who will lead the research on cutting-edge science to enhance health outcomes in Detroit and across Michigan. Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff said that the new facility will serve as a training location for students to be exposed to complex and diverse health care situations that will enhance their education, which was only made possible through this collaboration.