For the Tomahawk Leader
MINOCQUA – Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, celebrated the opening of its 3,400-square foot ambulance base to support its growing medical transport team.
The Marshfield Clinic Health System transport service, which began in late 2020, provides inter-facility transport service between the Health System’s 11 hospitals in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“The Minocqua ambulance base is the first of its kind to support 24-hour interfacility patient transport for the Health System,” a release from Marshfield Clinic stated. “Transport teams use two fully-equipped ambulance rigs and average 74 patient runs and 17,000 miles per month.”
“Our transfer crews work 24/7 to take critical patients to higher levels of care and specialty care that cannot be provided locally,” said Dr. Michael Schaars, Vice President of Medical Affairs for Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua and Marshfield Medical Center-Park Falls. “Given our location in northern Wisconsin, this regularly requires transfers to medical centers all over the state. Before having this ambulance base, a crew returning from a transfer hours after the end of their shift would need to go home, then return the following day for another 12 hours or longer. This new facility allows a crew to return to base, sleep and be ready for their next shift better rested and prepared for the patients of the next day. We believe this will lead to improved patient care, safer operating conditions for our staff and improved morale.”
The building features three garage bays for ambulance rigs, three sleep rooms for transport crews, an office, a kitchen and living room area, a bathroom and a storage and work area also used for training space.
The Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua Critical Care Transport team is staffed by 17 team members, a combination of EMTs, critical care paramedics and registered nurses.
“Each ambulance is staffed 24/7 with critical care level paramedics and nurses, the highest level of care recognized by the State of Wisconsin,” Marshfield Clinic stated. “It can handle patients of all ages experiencing everything from major trauma to critical illness.”
“This facility gives our transport team the space we need to train, prepare, and recuperate between runs,” said Britt Tucker, EMS supervisor. “Our patients deserve the best care from our team. When we see them, they are usually having one of the worst days of their lives. We need every member of our team well rested and prepared to give the highest level of care possible.”
