Beacon Health System celebrates one-year anniversary of Ascension Southwest Michigan acquisition, achieves key milestones

Beacon Health System is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its acquisition of Ascension Southwest Michigan, marking a year of growth, integration, investment and expanded care.

The acquisition is creating a brighter future for our patients, associates and communities across southwest Michigan and northern Indiana, strengthening Beacon’s ability to serve communities in its expanded region.

Beacon is a locally governed nonprofit organization and is using that model at our hospitals in southwest Michigan. Each hospital is governed by a board of local community members.

In the first year, Beacon focused on stabilizing operations, investing in facilities, services and advanced technology, and actively recruiting more providers to care for the community. These actions have helped to position the four hospitals, 35 outpatient clinics and an ambulatory surgery center for continued success and future growth.

“We are extremely pleased about the progress in the first year,” said Kreg Gruber, Beacon’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve appreciated the warm welcome by former Ascension employees and the community. Getting to know these communities has given us a deep appreciation for what the hospitals mean to the people here.”

First year milestone highlights include:

• Improved access by successfully recruiting 68 providers: 31 physicians and 37 advanced practice clinicians (nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified nurse-midwives)
• Improved efficiency by implementing one Electronic Health Record platform throughout our system
• Improved service delivery by bringing patient billing in house
• Several investments at Beacon Kalamazoo:
• A $3.5 million Emergency Department renovation
• A new cardiac catheterization lab is in the final stages.
• A new neurological interventional radiology room is scheduled to be completed in mid-July
• A new interventional radiology room is expected to be completed this fall

Thanks to the generosity of local donors, Beacon Kalamazoo was able to purchase:

• A next-generation da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system. Beacon Kalamazoo is the first hospital in the region to offer this advanced technology.
• A robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platform used to perform minimally invasive lung biopsies with precision.

“By thoughtfully stewarding legacy Borgess Foundation funds, we are able to reinvest those gifts in meaningful ways today—like bringing advanced technology to our patients,” Gruber said. “It’s a powerful example of how past generosity continues to improve care and save lives right here at home.”

As part of the acquisition, Beacon became a partner with Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) which trains physicians in 10 accredited residencies and five fellowships. a pipeline that directly supports recruitment and retention in southwest Michigan.

In the second year, Beacon will continue to support the community through ongoing investments in physician and provider recruitment, facility improvements and advanced medical technology at these Michigan locations.

“We have made great progress but we’re just beginning,” Gruber said. “Beacon is continuing to execute on our promise to bring compassionate, high-quality care to area residents. We are committed to ensure our hospitals remain a strong, accessible resource for southwest Michigan.”