MBN On The Road | UMH Sparrow Remarks - Pharmacy and Occupational Health Facility Lansing Interviews

Originally uploaded October 10th, reloaded October 28th. Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, 10 a.m., MBN was on the road to 1004 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing (at the old Rite Aid at corner of Michigan and Pennsylvania) as UM Health-Sparrow opens new pharmacy to address need in downtown Lansing. This video shares a pair of interviews following the ribbon cutting and remarks shared by dignitaries. Downtown Lansing has been a pharmacy desert since the closing of a Rite Aid. Now, UM Health-Sparrow is addressing that issue by announcing the opening of a pharmacy/Urgent Care/Occupational Health Services in the renovated and rejuvenated old Rite Aid. It’s part of our commitment to the community to provide access to care and protect everyone’s health. We’ll mark the occasion with a big celebration featuring UM Health-Sparrow leaders, Mayor Andy Schor and others. » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/ After more than a year without a neighborhood pharmacy, downtown Lansing has a new healthcare hub thanks to University of Michigan Health-Sparrow. The organization has transformed the former Rite Aid at Michigan and Pennsylvania avenues into a state-of-the-art facility offering pharmacy, urgent care, and occupational health services. The project involved a full interior demolition and rebuild, turning what was once a single-use pharmacy into a one-stop shop for diagnostics, prescriptions, and walk-in care. UM Health-Sparrow Regional President Margaret Dimond said the location was too vital to leave vacant, as the previous Rite Aid had filled nearly 100,000 prescriptions annually. Positioned across from the hospital with its own parking lot and a CATA bus stop, the new clinic provides convenience and accessibility for patients. The pharmacy also includes a drive-thru and extended evening hours, which local pharmacists say are crucial for patients seeking medications after typical business hours. Pharmacy Director Todd Belding explained that high demand for prescriptions in Sparrow’s professional building helped spark the idea for the new site. He emphasized that the space not only expands pharmacy access but also integrates essential services like X-rays and diagnostic testing—all under one roof. The clinic officially opened October 6, with a ribbon-cutting two days later that filled the parking lot before the doors even opened. The pharmacy launch is part of UM Health-Sparrow’s larger plan to expand healthcare access across Lansing. The system is investing roughly $150 million in projects near its downtown campus, including a new $100 million psychiatric hospital on the former Lansing Eastern High School site and an outpatient surgery center across from the new pharmacy. Together, these initiatives underscore UM Health-Sparrow’s commitment to revitalizing the city’s medical landscape and meeting the community’s growing healthcare needs.