Collaborative ThedaCare-NWTC Nursing Program first in Wisconsin
The newly constructed ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano will host a public open house on Wed., Sept. 16, from 4:15 to 7:30 p.m. at 100 County B in Shawano. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NTWC) will also showcase its new 5,000-square-foot nurse education center, located as part of a shared learning center inside TCMC-Shawano.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is at 4:15 with tours of the $52 million medical center to follow. Remarks will be shared by Dorothy Erdmann, CEO, Shawano Medical Center; and Dr. H. Jeff Rafn, president, NWTC.
ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, set to open for patient care on Sun., Sept.20, replaces the 82-year-old Shawano Medical Center. Adjacent to the existing ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano clinic, the 128,000-square foot addition is Silver LEED-certified for green building practices. Patient care units are served by four separate nursing hubs, just steps away from a small number of patient rooms. The design of the new hospital emphasizes views of nature and natural lighting. Spaces have been designed to flex for different purposes, including visiting specialists, and weekend and walk-in clinics. Outpatients will have easy access to lab and X-ray services, and surgery and birthing suites are located convenient to one another. The cooperative learning center, the first of its kind in Wisconsin, will be used by about 60 NWTC nursing students per year and current ThedaCare staff for orientations and continuing education.
“We are uniquely positioned to work together toward a common goal — to train nurses exactly where they will be needed, in Shawano’s own community health care setting,” Dr. Rafn said. “This partnership provides more access to education for Shawano, more supervised patient care practice for NWTC students, and more health care graduates for the region. It’s a great opportunity for everyone involved.”
Erdmann credits these community partnerships founded on good stewardship and cooperative spirit for making possible the new Shawano hospital. “We’ve worked hard to be good stewards of our community’s health care and education resources. We’ve affirmed our belief in excellent quality health care close to home. This will be a very special day when we unveil our new community hospital to the people who helped build it and who will sustain it for future generations.”
For more than 100 years, ThedaCare™ has been committed to finding a better way to deliver serious and complex healthcare to patients throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The organization serves over 200,000 patients annually and employs more than 6,800 healthcare professionals throughout the region. ThedaCare has seven hospitals located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin, Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose as well as 35 clinics in 14 counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs as well as a foundation dedicated to community service. Construction of ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center in Appleton and ThedaCare Medical Center – Shawano is underway. For more information, visit www.thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on Facebook and Twitter.
