March 11, 2016
MCHS Delays Plans for New Hospital to Thoroughly Evaluate Options for the Future
Susan Turney, M.D., President and CEO of Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS), today issued the following statement about the system's commitment to and investment in the future of healthcare in the region:
"Marshfield Clinic Health System is pleased to have signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase Saint Joseph's Hospital, and we look forward to working with Ascension in the coming months to finalize the transition. Having MCHS purchase Saint Joseph's represents a bridge to the future of health care in Marshfield. Taking ownership of the hospital means we can restore services, significantly reduce diversions and maintain jobs that might otherwise leave our community. We anticipate no major disruption in employment for most Saint Joseph's employees, both during the transition and after the sale.
"Our focus for the immediate future will be on continuing to provide world-class Marshfield Clinic care to patients at Saint Joseph's, as well as working with Ascension to restore services that have been reduced over the past several months. During this process, we will conduct a thorough evaluation of Saint Joseph's to determine what additional upgrades and investment make sense and what future role the building can play in how we care for the Marshfield community.
"Now that we are assured that high quality care can and will continue to be available in Marshfield, we are putting on hold our plans for a new Marshfield hospital. While we know the community will need an updated, state-of-the-art facility in the near future, acquiring Saint Joseph's offers new options that should be researched, evaluated and considered. We will keep the community informed of our progress, but it will take time to finalize the sale and our plans.
"Owning Saint Joseph's Hospital, along with other system improvements we're making including our new comfort and recovery suites in Marshfield, Eau Claire and Wausau, will continue to make Marshfield Clinic Health System a destination for world-class health care delivered by a talented team of doctors, nurses and additional staff. I thank our thousands of Marshfield Clinic employees and the Marshfield community for their support and look forward to welcoming Saint Joseph's employees to the team. As MCHS enters its second century of serving this region, I am optimistic about the future."
To provide more information and encourage community conversation on the future of health care, Marshfield Clinic has established a new "Caring for the Future" section on its website at
https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/mchs. This section will provide regular updates as part of Marshfield Clinic's commitment to keep the community informed and engaged.
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Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) oversees Marshfield Clinic and other subsidiaries, including Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc., MCIS, Inc., Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation, Flambeau Hospital in Park Falls and Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake. Marshfield Clinic, with more than 50 locations in Wisconsin, serves patients through accessible, high quality health care, research and education; with more than 700 physician specialists in 86 specialties and subspecialties and more than 6,500 employees. MCHS is overseen by a Board of Directors with 13 independent members and 11 physicians who comprise the Marshfield Clinic Board.
