For the Tomahawk Leader

MINOCQUA – Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua broke ground on a 45,000 square-foot hospital expansion on Thursday, May 19, a release from Marshfield Clinic Health System said.

Photo courtesy of Marshfield Clinic.

According to the release, the new hospital wing will increase inpatient rooms from 19 to 31, including six intensive care unit rooms, enhanced emergency and urgent care, enlarge the pharmacy, expand respiratory therapy services, increase the size of family waiting areas and allow for more hospital and clinic parking space.

“We opened this hospital just two years ago, amidst the start of the pandemic,” said Dr. Michael Schaars, Vice President of Medical Affairs. “We saw a need in the community then and made a promise to the Minocqua area to bring best-in-class health care to the Northwoods. Today, we are building on that promise.”

The release said that since Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua opened in June 2020, the Health System has:

• Treated and discharged over 2,000 patients from the hospital.
• Conducted nearly 7,500 outpatient surgeries.
• Welcomed 13,600 emergency room visits.
• Delivered more than 450 babies.
• Conducted more than 25,000 COVID-19 tests and administered approximately 13,000 COVID-19 vaccines.
• Grown its services to more than 25 specialties, including state-of-the-art world-class cancer care, neurology, cardiology, dermatology, pulmonology, neurology, urology and more.
• Achieved a Level III trauma designation with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
• Launched new licensed critical care transport ambulances to serve our patients in Minocqua and Park Falls staffed 24/7 with critical care level paramedics and nurses, the highest level of care recognized by the State of Wisconsin.
• Built a dedicated critical care transport ambulance garage and bunkhouse to fully support our transport team.
• Opened a new air medical base in Rhinelander to serve the entire Northwoods region that strengthens the ability to meet the air transport needs of our critically ill patients across the region.

“Additionally, an expanded campus allows more specialty care to patients across northern Wisconsin and throughout northern Michigan,” Marshfield Clinic stated.

“Through some great partners at HGA, BOLDT, JSD, and PGA, we are bringing a state-of-the-art healthcare facility into the heart of the Wisconsin Northwoods,” said Ty Erickson, Chief Administrative Officer. “This is an accomplishment not just for the Health System, but for the entire Minocqua region.”