As part of long-range strategic development interests, Henry Ford Health System determined the need for relocating many of the outpatient functions presently located on the main hospital campus to a new Ambulatory Care Center. This new Ambulatory Care Center is located as part of the New Center Building at the corner of West Grand Boulevard and Second Street at the hub of Detroit’s New Center. The location is readily identifiable and is adjacent to many Detroit landmarks including The Fisher Building and The State of Michigan Cadillac Place Office Center. The New Center Ambulatory Care Facility occupies 75,000 square feet of space on the seventh and eighth floors of the building.

Supporting the patient service needs and academic mission of the Henry Ford Health System, the new center will afford services including: Endo-Metabolism, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radiology, Women’s Center – Breast Imaging and Sterotactics, Pediatrics, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Dermatology, Laboratory, Pharmacy and Conference Center.

The building surrounds a major eight-story atrium with center glass elevators, which are connected by bridges to the floors. On the floors a public circulation ring surrounds the atrium with open patient waiting and registration areas making it easy to find and access services. Given the day lit atrium, a continuous clearstory along the clinic ring will bring natural day lighting into even the deepest areas of the departments. Centered on each side of the atrium are circular patient learning centers providing information relative to services provided at the center and medical literature. Other patient services including finance and social work are located at these nodes.

To support the ever-changing needs for the health system’s services, a universal exam and treatment model was developed for the floor plan accommodating the needs for exam, diagnostics, procedures, clinical operations, staff space, consulting and physicians offices. Given the Hospital’s teaching mission, accommodations are provided throughout for the large numbers of residents and students incorporated in the Center’s operations.

To create this medical model within an existing structure required infrastructure improvements including modifications to the mechanical and electrical systems and the integration of a new communications backbone. Additionally, patient support including a valet drop-off and improvements to parking for patients was incorporated.

The greatest challenge for development of the New Center Facility was the need to develop the program from design to move-in over a period of six months. This schedule was imperative to keep the organizations long-term strategic plan on schedule. The development team who included administration, management and design and construction from Henry Ford, along with the Construction Manager, and the Hobbs+Black design team worked together to rapidly develop logical and patient first consensus, and then as a real partnership to bring the project together in the needed timeline.

The Henry Ford Health System New Center Ambulatory Care Center provides for a major portion of the health systems outpatient services, providing facilities for both patients and students, while providing for much needed space on the hospital campus and continuing Henry Ford’s commitment to the City of Detroit.