A virtual ribbon cutting was held earlier this month to celebrate the opening of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation at Covenant HealthCare serving the Great Lakes Bay Area.

The $41 million hospital is the result of a joint venture established in March 2018 between Mary Free Bed and Saginaw-based Covenant HealthCare to address the need for rehabilitation services in the region. The hospital is on Covenant’s main campus, 700 Cooper Ave., Suite. 1100, in Saginaw.

The three-story building houses 60 private inpatient rooms, outpatient therapy services, offices for six board-certified rehabilitation physicians, and treatment and fabrication space for patients requiring braces and prosthetic limbs.

“This beautiful and sophisticated new space is the product of the solid relationship between Mary Free Bed and Covenant HealthCare,” said Beth Charlton, president and CEO of Covenant HealthCare. “Together, we’ve dreamed of elevating rehabilitative medicine in the Great Lakes Bay Region, and determination has pushed us through everything from supply chain shortages to global pandemics.”

Kent Riddle, president and CEO of Mary Free Bed, said he learned first hand the importance of rehabilitation services when his wife suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting from a car crash.

“I can personally attest that miracles can happen when hopeful and motivated patients connect with rehabilitation experts who love their profession and the patients they serve,” he said.

Riddle predicted Mary Free Bed at Covenant will offer new programs and technology to help more patients regain hope and freedom.

The building includes a variety of treatment areas and features, including:

Inpatient rehabilitation 

• Housed on floors two and three
• 60 adult private rooms with natural light
• Designated areas for patients with critical conditions and brain injuries
• Four therapy gyms with specialized equipment to treat specific diagnoses
• Dining rooms on floors two and three with space to gather with family
• Laundry rooms for family use

Outpatient rehabilitation

• Located on floor one near convenient parking
• Lobby with registration area, low-stimulation waiting room, kid-friendly space and marketplace for grab-and-go food items
• Private treatment rooms
• Therapy gyms with specialized equipment
• Pediatric gait and low stimulation gyms

Orthotics, prosthetics and bionics

• Private treatment rooms
• Fabrication lab
• Gathering spaces for support groups and exercise classes

Technology

• Ceiling-mounted Zero-G system with harness to secure patients while working on walking and balance
• Tollos in-ceiling lifts to safely lift, move and reposition patients
• Lokomat robotic-assisted walking technology
• Bioness therapy system to improve visual, cognitive, motor and balance skills
• Apartments to practice home activities

Outdoor spaces

• Social spaces for patients and families to relax and refresh
• Rooftop patio
• Northern therapy garden
• Southern tranquility garden

More information is at maryfreebedatcovenant.com.