Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital Expansion Approved

A vertical expansion project that will add three new operating rooms to was approved unanimously Tuesday night by the Planning Commission at .

The 9,600-square foot, one-story project, which was expected to begin construction in February pending approval, is actually less than 1 percent of the total size of the hospital, which will be pushed to more than 1 million square feet after completion, which is estimated at June 2013.

The size of current operating rooms are too small for modern services, which require more electronic equipment and people, Marco Capicchioni of Henry Ford Health System said. The three new larger operating rooms, which will connect to each other internally, will allow more space for patients and ensure a more sterile environment.

In addition, Capicchioni said, the more space that is available for teams to work during the daytime, the better.

"From a safety and quality perspective, we find that surgeries which occur during the day have better outcomes," he said. "The surgeons, the nursing team, the care team, they're all at their best during the day. It’s a technical, safety and quality perspective, as well as the preference for daytime surgeries."

Commissioner Jim Manna likened the hospital to renowned Midwestern facilities such as the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, but added concern for future parking.

"I think you guys are exceeding your expectations for how well this place is doing. It’s such a fantastic facility. I think, because it’s going to be such a great facility, known all over the world, that parking will be the biggest challenge as you extend further."

Senior planner Sara Roediger noted that the addition will occur over an existing first floor and will not increase the overall height of the building, rather merely matching the existing second stories, and visibility of the addition will be minimal from ground level.

Hospital CEO Gerard van Grinsven expressed gratitude for the work of the commission and looked forward to construction, noting he hoped it would create more jobs in the community. The hospital is the township's largest employer.

Planning officers elected

In other Planning Commission action, it voted to re-elect Nancy Reed as secretary, Steven Budaj as vice chair and Karmen Santourian as chair.

Stay tuned to Patch for a more in-depth look at the new hospital addition.

Correction: Jim Manna was incorrectly identified as a Township Trustee. He is a Planning Commissioner.