Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica has called off plans to build a hospital in Monroe, Mich., The Monroe News reported Aug. 15.
The planned hospital — initially delayed because of the pandemic — was scheduled to break ground in 2024. After careful evaluation, the health system has decided to expand and renovate its current hospital in Monroe instead.
"Based on this prioritization of needs and with the goal of regaining our economic stability and viability here at this hospital, we plan to shift our strategy away from building an entirely new hospital to a new vision that will help transform care here in Monroe," Darrin Arquette, president of ProMedica Monroe, told the publication.
ProMedica aims to improve operations at the hospital and has identified inpatient beds and inpatient rooms as one of the key areas that needs updating. The system also plans to build a new patient tower at the hospital.
"It will be modern with private rooms and other enhancements that will really improve patient care and meet and exceed patient expectations," Mr. Arquette told The Monroe News. "It will also contain space for future expansion for different programs and services."
The Monroe hospital currently has 130 inpatient rooms, all of which will be renovated as part of the project, according to the report. Renovations of the emergency center is also a priority, as well as additional clinic and office space and updates to the hospital's infrastructure.
ProMedica reported a $39.8 million operating loss in the second quarter, losing money on all three of its major segments — hospitals, senior care and the Paramount Health Plan. The second-quarter loss was a slight improvement on the $61.7 million loss in same period last year but a slip from the $29.6 million operating gain it posted in the first quarter.