Trinity Health Michigan in Livonia and University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor have entered a unique collaboration to bring advanced pediatric specialty care to Trinity Health Oakland hospital in Pontiac — formerly St. Joseph Mercy Oakland — and the communities it serves.
The University of Michigan Board of Regents recently approved the joint operating agreement that will make pediatric specialty care from U-M Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital available to Oakland County families. Trinity Health Michigan’s board of directors has also approved the venture.
“We are excited to welcome leading pediatric experts to our community,” says Dr. Fabian Fregoli, chief medical officer of Trinity Health Oakland. “This is a game changer for parents and families in Oakland County and makes our hospital a destination for advanced pediatric specialty care.”
For the first time, leading pediatric specialists from Michigan’s top ranked children’s hospital will provide services in the tri-county area both in outpatient clinics and through inpatient consultation and procedures at Trinity Health Oakland.
“Our two strong health systems have a long history of working together and we are pleased that this new collaboration will allow us to enhance access to advanced pediatric care for families in metro Detroit,” says Luanne Thomas Ewald, COO at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital. “Our pediatric specialists are pleased to join the excellent pediatric providers at Trinity Health Oakland to offer more care options closer to where patients live.”
The agreement builds on the two health systems’ existing affiliation agreement and follows a joint venture at Chelsea Hospital in 2018 and U-M Health joint operating agreements expanding cancer and cardiovascular services on the west side of the state.
“In working with U-M Health we are increasing access to advanced pediatric care and delivering better outcomes for children living in Oakland County,” says Shannon Striebich, president of Trinity Health Oakland and senior vice president of operations at Trinity Health Michigan. “I’m so appreciative to U-M Health for collaborating with us yet again and for working alongside our medical teams to provide world-class care to the communities we serve.”
Through a physician services agreement earlier this year, Mott cardiologists have been offering pediatric heart care at Trinity Health Oakland since January 2022. By way of the new collaboration, Mott pediatric urology and orthopedic clinics are opening in November 2022, and a pediatric surgery clinic in January 2023. Additional pediatric specialties will also be added to the offerings over the next year.
U-M Health serves patients from across the state through a network of relationships with health systems, hospitals, and physicians. A strategic priority in expanding this statewide network is a greater presence in communities across the state, including communities adjacent to Ann Arbor and beyond.
“Trinity Health Michigan has been an excellent partner for U-M Health as we continue to seek new ways to deliver high-quality care to patients across the state,” says Dr. David Miller, president of U-M Health, the clinical care enterprise of Michigan Medicine. “These strategic relationships address the growing need for hospital beds at U-M hospitals in Ann Arbor and expanded care choices closer to patients’ homes.”
Trinity Health Michigan and Michigan Medicine have had a variety of clinical programs and educational partnerships in place for decades. A master affiliation agreement between the organizations was executed in 2012 to enable the health systems to work together to create health care solutions in communities each mutually serves across the state.
