The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) have announced the location of a new inpatient psychiatric hospital.
The facility will be located at the current site of Hawthorn Center psychiatric facility in Northville Township (18471 Haggerty Rd.), and will also be a replacement for the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in Westland.
This project is part of the state’s continued commitment to providing behavioral health services to Michigan families.
The new hospital is being made possible by a $325 million FY23 budget allocation by the state. It will care for patients currently served at both Hawthorn Center and Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in Westland.
The two facilities serve nearly 200 patients and are among the state’s five inpatient psychiatric hospitals for individuals who have severe mental illness or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Hawthorn Center opened its doors in 1956 and Walter Reuther began operations in 1979, but there is a need for them to be replaced due to aging infrastructure.
“We are excited to be able to provide Michigan families in need of inpatient, behavioral health care a new state-of-the-art hospital in southeastern Michigan,” says Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “The modern facility will allow MDHHS to continue providing quality, compassionate care to both children and adults. The consolidation of two of our current hospitals will also allow for efficiencies in administrative and support services while maintaining separate living and treatment facilities for adults and children.”
During construction of the new facility, staff and patients currently being cared for at Hawthorn Center will be moved to a separate unit at Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital to allow for the demolition of the current Hawthorn facility.
While the new psychiatric complex will serve all ages, the hospitals will be distinct facilities with separate living and programmatic spaces for children and adults. The complex, however, will include shared administration and food service.
The construction manager for the project is Christman Co., with design services provided by Integrated Design Solutions. Construction is expected to begin this fall and anticipated completion is in 2026.
The state of Michigan operates five inpatient hospitals that serve nearly 650 patients. Caro Center, Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital, and Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital serve adult patients while children and adolescents are treated at Hawthorn Center.
The Center for Forensic Psychiatry provides diagnostic services to the criminal justice system and psychiatric treatment for criminal defendants adjudicated incompetent to stand trial or acquitted by not guilty by reason of insanity.
Michigan’s state hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission and are committed to providing evidence-supported, person-centered inpatient care to individuals.
