ER Construction Update

Construction on the new John and Melissa Besse Emergency Department & Walk-In Center at OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group has completed and we are ready to serve you! 

Construction on the new facility began in June 2008. The end of January 2009 marked completion of Phase II - new construction - and the beginning of Phase III - renovation of the current facility. Phase IV, the final phase in the project, was completed in Summer 2009 and entailed bringing the new construction and renovated areas together.

This needed new Emergency Department & Walk-In Center has been made possible by a generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Besse, along with federal funding that came with the aid of Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, and Congressman Bart Stupak.

The new Center is more than twice the size of the current Emergency Department and offers many new features, including:

• additional treatment rooms


• larger waiting area


• chemical decontamination area


• domestic violence and/or sexual abuse care, including a room equipment with a shower and bath, as well as gynecological equipment


• pediatric care, including child-friendly patient rooms


• consultation room for family members and patient advocates

With this gift to the community from the Besses, we were able to build a new Emergency Department for the South/Central Upper Peninsula that will benefit tens of thousands of individuals each year and ensure high quality health care well into the future.