MANISTIQUE — A lot has changed since Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital opened the doors to its new facility in April of 2013, but according to Bob Crumb, who took over as the hospital’s chief executive officer in 2016, there are even more changes on the horizon.

“The future is bright. We have outgrown the hospital space we opened in 2013 and are ready for phase two of our expansion project,” said Crumb.

Since opening the $25 million facility — which replaced an older hospital constructed in 1950 — SMH has added more than 75 jobs to the community. Even with the new hospital, employees were housed in three separate buildings to accommodate the boom in growth.

The planned addition will bring all of SMH’s clinical services under one roof, including HomeCare and Hospice, rehabilitative services, wound care, behavior health services, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. The addition will also add new infusion suites for outpatient services to the hospital, expanding the hospital’s care offerings even further.

Many of the individual departments at the hospital will also see major changes as a result of the new addition. The new rehabilitative services department will house state-of-the-art equipment for physical, speech, and occupational therapy services, as well as a treadmill pool that can benefit patients of all ages.

The Alan W. Ott Rural Health Clinic will also undergo a transformation, with new treatment space for additional primary care providers as well as space for behavioral health and psychiatric services and room for traveling specialists.

The addition will also bring a new outpatient specialty clinic. This clinic will house otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), surgical podiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, as well as wound care.

“The community support has been incredible thus far. Your ongoing interest in our hospital drives our strategic plan and we look forward to a future of continued growth,” said Crumb.

Many of the services that will be offered in the new specialty clinic are relatively new offerings at SMH. According to Crumb, these services offer patients expert care close to home and the hospital is both actively expanding its primary care services and recruiting new providers.

Both the physical expansion and the expansion of services would not be possible for the hospital without a strong financial position. According to Crumb, the hospital’s financial success over the last two years has been the result of three primary factors: targeted expansion of services, implementation of revenue cycle strategies to improve reimbursement for services provided, and targeted cost reductions that have reduced inefficient spending and lowered costs while maintaining quality patient service.

As a result of these efforts, SMH has experienced a $2.5 million turn-around from a net loss of $481,925 in 2016 to a net income of $2.1 million in 2017. A net income of approximately $2 million is expected for 2018.

“As an independent, non-profit, critical access hospital, it is essential that we remain on the forefront of advancing technology, ever-changing laws affecting health care and a commitment to excellence in our community,” said Crumb.

“The last few years at Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital have been exciting and full of change, “ he continued. “Leading a team of experts in health care has been quite a rewarding venture. We are so fortunate to have excellent care so close to home with caregivers that go above and beyond for our patients.”

Ilsa Matthes can be reached at imatthes@dailypress.net.