Posted on May 8, 2025
A Crowning Moment in Kids’ Rehabilitation: Crowning Ceremony for Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital
The crowning ceremony marked a significant milestone in the construction of Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital. The final steel beam was placed to complete the steel framework of Michigan’s first children’s rehabilitation hospital. It will be the country’s ninth freestanding children’s rehabilitation hospital once it’s completed in fall of 2026.
This topping off ceremony is really an opportunity to celebrate all of you,” said Kent Riddle, president and CEO of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation at the event. “This amazing community has come together to make kids’ biggest dreams a reality.”
The venture shared by Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation and Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, was announced in 2022 and a groundbreaking took place in August 2024. The state-of-the-art facility is designed for, and exclusively dedicated to, the rehabilitation of infants, children and teens, and will connect via skybridge across Wealthy Street to the main Mary Free Bed hospital.
We are joining together two very strong organizations with deep expertise and specialization so that we can provide care together and make it even better,” said Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health at the event. “More kids will have access to the joint medical, clinical and rehabilitative expertise, so they can be on a faster path to recovery, and so that more kids have those endless opportunities.”
The final piece of steel going atop the new building helps bring the construction to a total of 390 tons of steel. The final structure will stand 48 feet and 6 inches above grade. The skybridge once completed, will add an additional 135 tons of steel to the project.
After last summer’s groundbreaking, construction crews began preparing the site, working months on moving 54.6 million pounds of earth. To date, 75 construction workers have been involved on the site.
Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital represents something truly, extraordinary, said Rosalynn Bliss, former Grand Rapids Mayor. “This is going to be a world-class hospital, and it’s going to offer them more than just medical care. It’s going to offer them hope, healing, and a path forward on what can be some of their hardest and most difficult days”
Learn more about the project, and hear from leaders at the crowning ceremony. Watch the livestream video here:
We’re thankful to the community for supporting this project, and for our dedicated staff who serve our youngest patients and their families with care and compassion. Check out all the photos from the event in the gallery below:
