ONTONAGON, Mich. (WZMQ) – On April 19 Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital closed, leaving that community without emergency medical care.
On Wednesday evening the public was invited to a town hall meeting to hear plans for a new hospital to be built on the site of Maple Manor, a now-closed nursing home in Ontonagon. Over the last few months, a task force was put together by Ontonagon Twp. to explore the feasibility of bringing emergency care back to Ontonagon. The task force was able to purchase Maple Manor, as well as secure the support of several emergency care doctors. The plan is now to build a five-bed emergency room as well as a 36-bed assisted living facility on the site. They are also talking to several area hospitals they hope to partner with in the coming months. State Representative Greg Markkanen said he is proud of the community and hopes this town hall will give residents a better understanding of the process of bringing back emergency medical care.
“This meeting tonight was really to get the community on the same page to dispel the rumors, give people information on what’s happening, how it’s happening, who’s involved, and what direction it is going. So I think it accomplished all of that, I think people will go back and talk to people that weren’t here tonight. It’s all good, it’s a win-win situation,” said Markkanen.
The Twp. will continue to give progress updates through future meetings. Although a timeline has not yet been established, officials are hopeful they can open by the fall of 2027
