Schoolcraft College, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) and Integrated Healthcare Associates (IHA) recently celebrated a key milestone in the construction of the new IHA & St. Joe’s Livonia Medical Center on the northeast corner of campus.
Celebrated on Tuesday, March 10, was a “Topping Off Ceremony,” signifying the last steel beam placed on the structure. For this milestone, the beam was painted white and signed by dignitaries, workers and others, and adorned with an American flag.
“It’s exciting to see how all of our projects here on campus – our sports performance and athletic training through the St. Joe’s Mercy Elite Sports Center, our joint curriculum programming and job pipeline development with Schoolcraft, and access to health care – are all coming together to improve the health and well-being of the entire local community,” said Shannon Striebich, president, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, who spoke at the event.
The IHA & St. Joe’s Livonia Medical Center will bring leading physicians and health services to the campus, create educational opportunities for Schoolcraft students and enable students to fill needed jobs in the health care industry. Specifically, the center, which will be 123,646 sq. ft., will provide primary, specialty and urgent care. It will also partner with Schoolcraft College for health profession internships, clinical experiences and practicums.
“This is an important milestone in our partnership with an established, world-class healthcare provider and a top-tier physicians’ group to provide a modern medical environment on our campus that meets the primary and urgent care needs of the community, students, faculty and staff,” said Schoolcraft College President Dr. Conway A. Jeffress. “The ‘Topping Off Ceremony’ is in many ways a building’s introduction to the public.”
The progress on the new facility offers physical proof of the strong collaboration between SJMHS, IHA and Schoolcraft College, which includes SJMHS’ support of the St. Joe’s Sports Dome on the Schoolcraft College campus. SJMHS’ Mercy Elite Sports Performance program operates in the dome in partnership with Schoolcraft College’s SC Elite Program, providing athletic training, physical therapy, and health and nutritional services to youth and adults in the community.
IHA assumed responsibility for the urgent care currently operating on the Schoolcraft College campus. In conjunction with this change, IHA established an internal and family medicine practice within the same building to offer the community additional access to primary care. These services will relocate to the new health center in the future.
“Our team offers high-quality, personalized care to students, faculty and surrounding communities,” said Mark LePage, MD, CEO of IHA. “With construction of this new, much larger facility, we are elevating care for our patients by bringing together physicians and practitioners from across multiple specialties, all in one convenient location.”