POH Medical Center is undergoing some big changes in Pontiac and in Oxford.
Last week, Flint-based McLaren Heath Care purchased POH Medical Center for an undisclosed amount.
POH’s 338-bed hospital in downtown Pontiac along with its eight satellite offices (which includes Oxford) are now the newest subsidiary of McLaren.
‘It will bring the resources of McLaren Health to the Oxford area,? said Gary Wentzloff, CEO of Physician Organized Healthcare System, which oversees POH’s satellite facilities.
Under McLaren, POH will operate as ‘POH Regional Medical Center.?
McLaren now owns a total of eight hospitals in Flint, Lansing, Bay City, Lapeer, Mt. Clemens and Pontiac. Its health care network includes 150 locations, 15,000 employees and nearly 3,600 physicians.
Prior to the purchase, plans were already in the works to expand POH’s Oxford campus from its current one-story, 36,000-square-foot facility to a two-story building with up to 60,000 square feet of space.
The current building would be torn down and a new one constructed on the same approximately 6-acre site located at 385 N. Lapeer Rd., just outside the village limits.
‘We’ve been out there since 1980,? Wentzloff said. ‘Our facility was getting a little old and tired. We need to re-configure to meet the needs of the community.?
‘It’s a growing area,? he added. ? People are moving in, especially a lot of families and so we’re trying to match the services we offer at the facility with the needs of the community.?
Preliminary plans call for a brand new Emergency Room and ambulatory services on the first floor and plenty of office space on the second floor for primary care physicians and specialists.
‘McLaren has looked at our plans and is very excited,? Wentzloff said. ‘Our goal is to basically make that a full service facility for all the needs of the community. You won’t have to leave the community to get whatever service you need.?
Exactly when this expansion will take place is not certain, but Wentzloff said it will be ‘soon.?
‘I can’t give you a timetable. We’re going through integration activities right now with McLaren,? Wentzloff said. ‘I do not see it being a long, drawn-out process as far when we start, but I can’t give you a firm date on that right now.?
POH has yet to submit any plans to the township for approval.