EMU Today

YPSILANTI – A dramatic new addition to the Eastern Michigan University landscape will begin serving patients Nov. 4, when the IHA Health Center @ EMU opens its doors to the campus and surrounding community.

The health center, a collaboration of IHA, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and the University, will provide vital primary health care services to members of the community at-large as well as the EMU community.

Located at 1065 North Huron River Drive, on the northwest end of campus near the present headquarters of the EMU Department of Public Safety, the center will offer:

• Comprehensive primary care services.
• Well-woman visits and other women’s health services.
• Seven-day-a-week urgent care services, including x-ray.
• Electronic Medical Record capabilities, including a 24/7 patient portal.
• Online appointment scheduling.
• A “Save your Spot” tool to manage urgent care arrival and wait times so that patients don’t have to wait in the facility but can inquire ahead and then be texted when they can arrive to receive medical services. 
• Onsite third-party pharmacy, operated by Campus Medical Pharmacy.

Dr. Lisa Whipple will serve as the site medical director for the IHA Primary Care and Gynecology team. She currently practices at the IHA Family Medicine - Arbor Park, on Clark Road.

Whipple will head up an experienced primary care medical team that also includes Dr. Thuy Orlando, Dr. Robert Breakey, and Stacy Deckhart, CNP. Dr. Lisa Jeffries and Elizabeth Loomis, CNP, will provide gynecology services and Dr. Matthew Ajluni will oversee urgent care services.

The new center, which is 12,296 square feet, will hold a community open house from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 2. The open house will feature tours, treats and gift card giveaways.

Other important dates and times regarding the health center include:

• Friday, Nov. 1: The last day of operation for University Health Services Medical Clinic at the Snow Health Center on the EMU campus. After that date, UHS will no longer see patients in the medical clinic. Current patients of the UHS Medical Clinic should contact their clinician to discuss the transition of your care to a new provider by Nov. 26, 2019. 

• Monday, Nov. 4: The IHA Health Center @ EMU opens, with hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Other important dates for the Snow Health Center include:

Dec. 13, 2019: The last day for Snow Pharmacy operation.

Dec. 14, 2019: Complete closure of the UHS Medical Clinic and the pharmacy at Snow Health Center. 

The IHA Health Center @ EMU reflects an expansion of the strong collaboration between St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital and Eastern, which includes formal affiliation agreements for nearly 20 health-related programs, including the Physician Assistant Program at Eastern, which was launched in spring 2014.

EMU is also constructing an adjacent facility, the EMU Campus Wellness Center, set to open in January 2020, that will house the University’s existing Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and other services presently located in Snow Health Center, along with the EMU Psychology Clinic, located on Cross Street. CAPS will remain in Snow Health Center and the Psychology Clinic will remain in its Cross Street location until the new facility opens.

That EMU Campus Wellness Center will also support the University’s College of Health and Human Services programs, with hands-on educational opportunities for students and faculty.

The total cost of the combined facilities is $14 million.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.

About IHA

Established in 1994 and celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding in 2019, IHA is one of the best and largest multi-specialty groups in Michigan, delivering more than one million patient visits each year. IHA employs more than 2,400 staff, including more than 700 providers consisting of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives in approximately 74 practice locations across Southeast Michigan. Recognized as Metro Detroit’s Top Physician Group by Consumer Reports magazine. IHA offers patients extended office hours and urgent care services, along with online patient diagnosis, treatment and appointment access tools. IHA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and a member of Trinity Health. For more information about IHA, visit the IHACares website.

About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 131-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea.  Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,548 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $115 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

 SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 133,000 colleagues, has annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of about $24.7 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1.1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

 For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit the Saint Joes Health website.