Trinity Health Michigan and University of Michigan Health have entered a unique collaboration to bring advanced pediatric specialty care to Trinity Health Oakland Hospital and the communities it serves.
The Board of Regents on Oct. 20 approved the joint operating agreement that will make pediatric specialty care from C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital available to Oakland County families. Trinity Health Michigan’s Board of Directors also has approved the venture.
“We are excited to welcome leading pediatric experts to our community,” said Fabian Fregoli, chief medical officer of Trinity Health Oakland. “This is a game changer for parents and families in Oakland County and makes our hospital a destination for advanced pediatric specialty care.”
For the first time, leading pediatric specialists from Michigan’s top-ranked children’s hospital will provide services in the tri-county area, both in outpatient clinics and through inpatient consultation and procedures at Trinity Health Oakland, formerly St. Joseph Mercy Oakland.
“Our two strong health systems have a long history of working together and we are pleased that this new collaboration will allow us to enhance access to advanced pediatric care for families in metro Detroit,” said Luanne Thomas Ewald, chief operating officer at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital.
“Our pediatric specialists are pleased to join the excellent pediatric providers at Trinity Health Oakland to offer more care options closer to where patients live.”
The agreement builds on the two health systems’ existing affiliation agreement and follows a joint venture at Chelsea Hospital in 2018 and U-M Health joint operating agreements expanding cancer and cardiovascular services on the west side of the state.
“In working with U-M Health we are increasing access to advanced pediatric care and delivering better outcomes for children living in Oakland County,” said Shannon Striebich, president of Trinity Health Oakland and senior vice president of Operations for Trinity Health Michigan.
“I’m so appreciative to U-M Health for collaborating with us yet again and for working alongside our medical teams to provide world-class care to the communities we serve.”
Through a physician services agreement earlier this year, Mott cardiologists have been offering pediatric heart care at Trinity Health Oakland since January. By way of the new collaboration, Mott pediatric urology and orthopedic clinics are opening in November, and a pediatric surgery clinic will open in January 2023.
Additional pediatric specialties also will be added to the offerings over the next year.
U-M Health serves patients from across the state through a network of relationships with health systems, hospitals and physicians. A strategic priority in expanding this statewide network is a greater presence in communities across the state, including communities adjacent to Ann Arbor and beyond.
“Trinity Health Michigan has been an excellent partner for U-M Health as we continue to seek new ways to deliver high-quality care to patients across the state,” said David Miller, president of U-M Health, the clinical care enterprise of Michigan Medicine.
“These strategic relationships address the growing need for hospital beds at U-M hospitals in Ann Arbor and expanded care choices closer to patients’ homes.”
U-M Health and Trinity Health Michigan have a history of successful collaborations based on the complementary attributes and resources of U-M Health as an academic health system and Trinity Health Michigan as a health care system with unique capabilities operating community hospitals.
Trinity Health Michigan and Michigan Medicine have had a variety of clinical programs and educational partnerships in place for decades. A master affiliation agreement between the organizations was executed in 2012 to enable the health systems to work together to create health care solutions in communities each mutually serves across the state.
Trinity Health Michigan has more than 24,000 full-time employees serving 29 counties. It consists of nine hospitals in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Howell, Livonia, Muskegon, Pontiac and Shelby.
Michigan Medicine includes the top-ranked U-M Medical School and U-M Health, which includes C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, University Hospital, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, Kellogg Eye Center, U-M Health West and the Rogel Cancer Center.
