DETROIT – Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) has been named the medical director for a mass vaccination site at Detroit’s Ford Field. Officials said Henry Ford will “provide onsite expertise and oversight for the vaccine administrations and medical care as well support for the site’s operations.” Other support partners include FEMA, Wayne County, City of Detroit, Ford Field, the Detroit Lions and Meijer. The health system held a similar position at the TCF Center in 2020. “Henry Ford Health System is thrilled to serve as the health system partner for this mass vaccination effort, joining our local, state and federal partners to expand vaccination opportunities, especially in our underserved communities,” said Dr. Steven Rockoff, service chief of Emergency Medicine at Henry Ford Health System. It was initially reported in February that officials from FEMA were touring Ford Field and planning to turn the home of the Detroit Lions into a vaccination site.

The main lab at Henry Ford was the first in Michigan, outside of the health department, to be able to test for COVID-19. Now, the health system tests over 1,500 samples a day and have done roughly a quarter of a million tests since March. Depending on the urgency of the result, the lab can actually choose to do the PCR test on a specific, smaller machine with a rapid turnaround. In general, the majority of tests take less than 24 hours to determine results when they’re done on the larger machines. Dr. Linoj Samuel with Henry Ford Health System explains the process.

DETROIT – Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) has proposed a seven-story parking garage for its location in Detroit -- which is raising some concerns for residents in the area. HFHS in Detroit currently has a parking lot with about 300 spots for its employees and patients. While the current parking lot may not be big enough, the significantly-larger proposed parking garage may pose some issues for its Detroit neighbors. HFHS’s proposed parking garage would accommodate approximately 2,000 vehicles -- a solution to a parking problem that was addressed in a community outreach meeting. Residents said that a parking garage is needed, but the proposed plan could decrease their property values and increase their taxes.