Ontonagon, Mich. (WZMQ) – Residents of Ontonagon County will be happy to learn that a critical care facility is in the works.
Ontonagon has been without a hospital or an emergency room since April of 2023 when Aspirus abruptly shutdown their hospital. Since the shutdown Ontonagon County residents have been worried because the closest ER is now an hour away in Baraga. During a meeting last week the Ontonagon Township Board agreed to purchase Maple Manor, a former nursing home downtown. Ontonagon Township Supervisor, Steve Store, says interest in this project is obviously very high.
“You know we’ve had doctors, I think there’s four or five ER doctors, that are excited about it that want to come here to work. We’ve got a pharmacist, lab tech people,” Said Store.
The former nursing home has 36 beds on the main floor and 12 beds on the second floor. Store says the building offers a lot of potential.
“We would only use the emergency health care rule- we’d use, we’d have an emergency room with two beds in it and possibly three beds where we could stabilize somebody and get them shipped out the next day,” said Store.
The next step would be to secure Brownfield funding for site preparation and work with State and Federal officials to find additional money. Ironically Maple Manor was the original Ontonagon Hospital built in 1945. According to Store, if all goes as planned the critical care facility would be operational by early 2027.
