By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Metro Health expects to add 114 full-time-equivalent jobs to its roster between October 1, 2007 and June 2008. The new facility at Metro Health Village, 5900 Byron Center SW, doubles the hospital's size to 500,000 square feet and adds 46 beds, bringing the number to 208.
Dan Holwerda, COO and VP, expects an increase in business, but not just because the hospital can accommodate more patients.
"There's a halo effect with a brand new facility in a brand new location," Holwerda says. "We did a study of 50 hospitals across the country and in most of the cases there's increased demand because you're in a new facility in a new location."
Workers are needed in several departments, including information technology, security, housekeeping, maintenance, and dietary. Several new patient units—the Childbirth Center, an Assisted Breathing Center, the Clinical Decision Unit, and an Intensive Care Unit—need additional clinical services providers.
The hospital actively recruits physicians, and the competition with other hospitals is tough because of the shortage of qualified doctors and surgeons.
"I think every hospital is always looking at their physician make-up," Holwerda says. "Once you slow down on the physician recruitment you're going to go backwards because physicians are always being actively recruited from other hospitals."
In addition to the jump in workforce, Holwerda expects a jump in net revenues from $194 million for fiscal year 2007 to $221 million for fiscal year 2008.
Metro Health currently employs 2,100 employees in 1,500 full-time-equivalent positions.
The new hospital opens its doors on September 30. Open houses are planned for September 10, 11 and 12 from 2 to 8.
Source: Dan Holwerda, Metro Health
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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