Estimated 5,000 New Jobs To Be Created

DMC Outlines $500 Million Expansion at "Construction Outreach" Event

DETROIT, July 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Detroit Medical Center (DMC) launched its long-awaited new construction and expansion program Friday, July 16, 2010, during a "Construction Outreach" event that announced the creation of an estimated 5,000 local jobs for the building industry.

"This is a major step forward for Detroit and Southeast Michigan," said DMC President and CEO Michael Duggan. "In a time where the City is in a deep recession, with high unemployment, the creation of thousands of good-paying construction jobs is a sign of hope for all of us."

Vanguard Health Systems has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade and expand DMC, including 15 different major construction projects at three DMC campuses (Central Detroit; Northwest Detroit and Commerce Township). This commitment represents the largest single private investment in the city's history.

The project budgets – ranging from $3 million to $170 million – are scheduled to begin immediately after the tentative October 1, 2010 closing date of the agreement between DMC and Vanguard. The first project, calls for new construction of a Children's Hospital of Michigan Pediatric Specialty Center.  Other early projects will include the construction of new medical office buildings and a new patient tower at Children's.

The DMC "Construction Outreach" event, held at Ford Field, brought together a wide assortment of hospital and community officials, who shared their vision of how a greatly expanded DMC will boost the local economy and also improve healthcare for tens of thousands of patients in Southeast Michigan.

The attendees, more than 600 representatives from contracting firms from all across the region, learned specific details about the bidder pre-qualification process. Also on hand, were the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) to discuss the requirements needed to meet minority classifications, and the City of Detroit to discuss the requirements needed to be Detroit based and Detroit headquartered businesses.

The DMC Construction Outreach event follows closely on the heels of impressive recognition by U.S. News & World Report of outstanding patient care at DMC Harper University Hospital.  The recent U.S. News rankings, widely seen as a barometer of excellence in hospital care, listed Harper as among the nation's top 50 hospitals for delivering outstanding care to patients in gynecology, cardiology, pulmonary and neurology services. DMC's Children's Hospital of Michigan was also recognized in June 2010 as one of the top hospitals for pediatric care in the U.S.News America's Best Children's Hospitals.

For a complete project listing and photos, visit www.DMC.org and click on the Construction Outreach Banner.

About Detroit Medical Center (DMC)

The Detroit Medical Center operates ten hospitals and institutes, including Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Harper University Hospital, Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, Hutzel Women's Hospital, DMC Cardiovascular Institute, Kresge Eye Institute, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Sinai-Grace Hospital, and DMC Surgery Hospital.   

The Detroit Medical Center is a leading regional health care system with a mission of excellence in clinical care, research and medical education.

The Detroit Medical Center is the Official Healthcare Services Provider of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons.

SOURCE Detroit Medical Center