“While there was no water damage, and the fire was contained to a small area, smoke and soot were circulated throughout the building,” said James Barker, CEO of Manistee Hospital. “A thorough cleaning must be done of the environment and all equipment and materials inside. We will need to replace items that might have been damaged.”
The hospital plans to reopen the building on Monday, September 24. “This will be a longer process than we hoped,” said Barker. “But we need to ensure the building is safe for our patients and staff.”
In the meantime, the hospital is using alternate clinic space for its provider offices. “Manistee Hospital’s General Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Neurology, and Wound Care offices will continue to see patients at other office locations or in the hospital,” said Michelle Ruhser, Manager of Ambulatory Services. “Staff will be calling patients who have appointments to let them know where they will be seen.” Patients who have questions should contact their provider’s office. View the list of temporary clinic locations.
The Health Connection Fitness Center will be closed until Manistee Medical Offices is reopened. “Active memberships will be extended by one month to make up for the closure,” said Dursa Marshall, Manager of the Health Connection.
Fresenius Medical Care leases space in the Manistee Medical Offices to provide dialysis services. Dialysis patients should contact Fresenius directly about their care.
Barker lauded the professionalism and commitment of Manistee Hospital staff. “As you can imagine, losing access to an entire building is a tremendous challenge, but staff from throughout our organization pulled together quickly to find solutions to ensure we can keep taking care of patients.”
A fire broke out in an air handling unit on the roof of the Manistee Medical Offices at 1293 E. Parkdale Ave. at about 1 pm on Wednesday, August 29. Power had recently been restored to the area following an outage caused by Tuesday’s severe weather. “Local fire crews responded very quickly, ensuring there were no injuries to patients or staff and minimizing the damage to our facility,” said Barker. “This could have been much, much worse. We are grateful for the skill of the firefighters and the quick thinking of staff in the building who made sure everyone was evacuated.”
Barker also appreciates the community’s ongoing support. “We know this is disruptive to our patients, and we appreciate their patience during this challenging time. We remain committed to providing excellent patient care.”