New psychiatric hospital to be built at site of Hawthorn Center in Northville
NORTHVILLE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - State health officials announced that a new inpatient psychiatric hospital will be built at the site of the Hawthorn Center to provide behavioral health services to Michigan residents.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Technology, Management & Budget made the announcement. They said the new hospital is possible thanks to a $325 million budget allocation by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The new hospital will be located at 18471 Haggerty Road in Northville. It will serve patients currently cared for at the Hawthorn Center and the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in Westland.
According to the MDHHS, these two hospitals serve about 200 patients. They are among the five inpatient psychiatric hospitals in the state that treat individuals with severe mental illness or intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"We are excited to be able to provide Michigan families in need of inpatient, behavioral health care a new state-of-the-art hospital in southeastern Michigan," said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. "The modern facility will allow MDHHS to continue providing quality, compassionate care to both children and adults. The consolidation of two of our current hospitals will also allow for efficiencies in administrative and support services while maintaining separate living and treatment facilities for adults and children."
State health officials say that the two hospitals need to be replaced because of the aging of infrastructure, as the Hawthorn Center opened in 1956 and the Walter P. Reuther opened in 1979.
"The new facility is a perfect example of how the state is leveraging one-time resources for long-term strategic investments," said State Budget Director Christopher Harkins. "We are thoughtfully and deliberately building the new facility on the current Hawthorn Center site, which is a convenient location for staff and patient families, and sustains a relationship with the community of Northville, which has long been a partner to the State of Michigan. This project will provide benefits for years into the future."
The Christman Company is the new hospital's construction manager, and Integrated Design Solutions LLC will provide design services. They are set to begin construction on the facility this fall. Work is expected to be completed in 2026.
During the construction of the new hospital, staff and patients will be moved to a separate unit at Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital while the current Hawthorn Center building is demolished.
The new facilities will have separate living spaces for children and adults but shared administration and food service spaces.
