Breaking ground: Construction begins on Michigan's 1st children's rehab hospital

After years of planning, Mary Free Bed and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital have broken ground on a new state-of-the-art children’s rehabilitation hospital.

With the ceremonial toss of dirt, the construction of the Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital is underway. This will be the only rehab hospital that is designed exclusively for infants, children and teens in the state and will be the ninth facility in the nation.

Pure Architects - Mary Free Bed

It will feature 24 private inpatient rooms and specialized services just for kids, helping them recover from injury or illness and reach their full potential.

The facility is a partnership between Mary Free Bed and Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and just the ninth hospital of its kind in the United States.

Officials say the 67,000-square-foot hospital will be able to help around 2,500 children every year with their rehabilitation needs. The building will be three floors tall and a sky bridge over Wealthy Street will connect it to Mary Free Bed’s main hospital.

Pure Architects - Mary Free Bed

“I think it’s important to give children their life back once they’ve been injured or if they have something that needs rehab," said the hospital's namesake, philanthropist Joan Secchia, when the project was announced. "It’ll be a fabulous place for children to recover.”

Governor Whitmer attended the groundbreaking, saying that the state has contributed $15 million to the $70 million project.

"This is a collaborative effort, but I think that this really shows that we're going to do something for kids and health care that you can't get everywhere. And so it's really special, and I think Grand Rapids is a perfect place to so," said Whitmer.

Pure Architects - Mary Free Bed

You can watch the transformation happen along Wealth Street in Grand Rapids across from Mary Free Bed's main campus.

Construction of the rehabilitation hospital will take two years to complete, with an opening sometime in 2026.

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