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Henry Ford Health recently celebrated the “topping out” of Henry Ford Hospital’s new patient tower by placing the final steel beam at the top of the tower currently under construction. This marks a significant milestone in a $2.2 billion expansion plan to reimagine Henry Ford Health’s Detroit campus.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — known for its innovative approach to rehabilitation that leverages the latest in scientific breakthroughs, tools and technology — will occupy three of the top floors in the new tower in a 72-bed, state-of-the-art physical medicine and rehabilitation facility. The inclusion of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab was made possible through a nearly $130 million investment by the Gilbert Family Foundation.
Cheri Blauwet, MD, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s chief clinical officer and senior vice president, attended the topping-out celebration on behalf of the rehabilitation hospital.
“Each year, tens of thousands of people across greater Detroit survive life-altering conditions — stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, cancer and amputation — and the need for specialized rehabilitation is only accelerating as the population ages,” said Dr. Blauwet during her remarks. “It’s an honor to help shape this next chapter in Detroit and bring world-class physical medicine and rehabilitation care directly to this community.”
The patient tower is the most visible component of the expansion project known as Destination: Grand that is transforming the 111-year-old hospital campus in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood.
“For more than 70 years, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has defined the standard in rehabilitation, advancing science-driven care that helps people strengthen how they function, move and communicate,” said Pablo Celnik, MD, CEO of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. “Through Destination: Grand, patients in Detroit will no longer need to leave their community to access world-class rehabilitation care and recoveries. We are deeply grateful to the entire Henry Ford Health team and the Gilbert Family Foundation for making this shared vision a reality.”
Since breaking ground in September 2024, construction crews have installed 6,800 tons of steel and logged more than 600,000 cumulative work hours. Eventually, they will cover the building’s façade with more than three football fields’ worth of glass.
“This steel beam symbolizes the strength of our commitment to the city we’ve called home for more than a century,” said Henry Ford Health President and CEO Bob Riney. “This milestone moment brings us one step closer to opening the hospital of the future, where people from Detroit and around the world will have access to the very best in medical breakthroughs, technology, treatment, and healing environments, regardless of where they live or their socio-economic status.”
The new hospital facility is expected to open its doors to patients in 2029. Read the full press release.
