MyMichigan Medical Center Center Alpena is a 139-bed critical access hospital providing general medical and surgical care for inpatients and outpatients along with a 24-hour emergency room to the Alpena, Michigan area. The hospital’s medical specialties include behavior health services, cancer care, diagnostic imaging (x-ray, CT scanning, etc), orthopedics, pain management, rehabilitation services, surgical services, women’s health, wound & hyperbaric medicine, and more. The hospital is part of the MidMichigan Health system.
Founded in 1915, the Donald McRae Hospital served the community until 1940 when local businessman Lloyd Leavitt wrote a letter to the city council asking for a public hospital. With county support and 45 percent funding from federal assistance, the 88-bed Alpena General Hospital opened April 16, 1940.
The hospital is a designated trauma center and receives referrals for acute care patients from all over the region. The hospital also provides a wide variety of outpatient programs, including community education on health topics and the delivery of primary health care. The hospital is a Medicare and Medicaid certified provider.
A recent rating by CMS gave MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena a five-star overall rating, the highest available. This is based on measures that reflect how well the hospital meets patient expectations for quality of care. It is one of 13 hospitals in Michigan to earn this distinction, and the only hospital in northeast Michigan to achieve it.
It also received a four-star rating in the ‘patient experience’ category, which is based on responses to a survey. This measure includes 10 questions that looked at things like whether patients would recommend the hospital to others, how often they felt safe in the hospital, and if they felt their doctors communicated with them in a way that made them feel comfortable. The hospital received 677 responses, which is a good response rate for a Medicare survey.
In addition, the hospital has a comfort care suite to give family members privacy during emergencies. The facility is planning to expand its emergency department, adding 21 private rooms to further protect patient privacy and help families stay together while being treated at the facility.
The facility has an endowment fund held by the Community Foundation of Northeast Michigan, which was established in 1990. In addition, it has a variety of individual donations and investment income. This allows the hospital to spend the money for any purpose it needs at the Alpena location. It is also a Federal Tort Claims Act Deemed Facility, which means the hospital has certain protections from lawsuits filed by patients or their loved ones.