Center for Children’s Integrated Services breaks ground in Flint

The Genessee Health System (GHS) and the Greater Flint Mental Health Facilities Inc. have broken ground on the GHS Center for Children’s Integrated Services in Flint, Mich.

The 60,000-sf project was designed to serve as an important step in Flint’s recovery from the contaminated water crisis. It will bring all GHS children’s program areas under one roof, including the Neurodevelopmental Center for Excellence, a Children’s Autism Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, Child and Family Services, and Community Outreach programming. The facility will include a cafe, an outdoor plaza, a secure playground, and comfortable waiting spaces intended to make the facility feel inviting for regular, repeat visitors while supporting clinical programs with an activities-based approach.

GHS Center for Children’s Integrated Services playgroud

A series of autism pods, as well as an autism playground area, are part of a highly developed treatment facility for children on the autism spectrum, which is one of the leading outcomes seen from the water crisis. These spaces will include surface materials for touch and playground objects designed to enhance motor skills.

GHS Center for Children’s Integrated Services interior space

The Center will improve access to behavioral health and primary care services for low- to moderate-income residents of the Flint area and will act as a cornerstone of future neighborhood redevelopment.

HED is designing the project and DW Lurvey is building it. The GHS Center for Children’s Integrated Services is scheduled to open by the end of summer 2022.

GHS Center for Children’s Integrated Services gathering space

GHS Center for Children’s Integrated Services interior space

Rural hospitals present unique opportunities and challenges for healthcare facility operators. Oftentimes, the infrastructure and building systems have not been updated for years and require significant improvements in order to meet today’s modern medical demands. Additionally, as these smaller, more remote hospitals are acquired by larger regional and national healthcare systems, the first step by new ownership is often to update and rehabilitate the building. But how can this be done thoughtfully, economically, and efficiently in ways that allow the engineering and facility staff to adapt to the changes? And how can the updates accurately reflect the specific needs of rural communities and the afflictions with which these areas most commonly face?