Memorial is now Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital

LUDINGTON — Memorial Medical Center is now Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital. The Ludington hospital officially merged with Spectrum Health this morning. New signs are being installed today.

“Joining Spectrum Health creates the best possible health care scenario for the people we serve,” said Mark Vipperman, CEO and president of the Ludington hospital. “With improved access to specialty care, assistance with physician recruitment, best practices in clinical quality and a willingness to make significant health care investments, the health care needs of the people in this part of West Michigan will be well-served for the foreseeable future.”

Vipperman said Spectrum has committed $46 million in capital upgrade investment over the next 10 years, which includes $8 millions towards technology and $2 million for physician recruitment. Spectrum is also providing $6 million for healthcare initiatives to benefit the Ludington area and the hospital, Vipperman said last week during a business leaders meeting at the hospital.

Part of Spectrum’s agreement with Memorial is that the Ludington hospital cannot be sold within the next 10 years. In addition, all employees who were employed as of midnight will remain employed. Vipperman speculated that the Ludington Hospital will most likely increase employees.

“Spectrum Health has had an excellent working relationship with Memorial Medical Center for many years,” said Richard C. Breon, President & CEO, Spectrum Health. “This agreement allows us to build on that relationship and provide a broader, more coordinated array of services to the region.”

The hospital will continue to have a local board.

“The board is both pleased and excited that we were able to get this done. As the future of health care in our country and the future needs of our community became clear to us, we knew we needed to take the sort of action that would serve our constituents’ best interests in the long term,” said Al Deering, chair of the hospital’s board of directors. “We think we’ve done that by deciding to join Spectrum Health. We admire the people of Spectrum Health and their pursuit of excellence. The Spectrum Health mission focus made us believe that we are culturally well-aligned. We will still have local control over our day-to-day operations, meaning that the work we’ve been doing in the community will not only be supported, but encouraged. Spectrum Health’s willingness to provide $6 million to the MMC Foundation for health care initiatives to benefit the Ludington community illustrates this fact.”

Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital is an 87-bed acute care hospital with 575 employees located in Ludington, Michigan. The hospital recently opened a major expansion, including an all-new emergency department, expanded surgery department, and new main entrance and lobby.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system, based in West Michigan, offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of 10 hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; 130 ambulatory and service sites; 975 advanced practice providers and employed physicians including members of the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart physician groups; and Priority Health, a health plan. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 20,000 employees. The organization provided $204 million in community benefit during its 2012 fiscal year.