New ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano Robustly Endorsed by Community
The board of directors of the Shawano Medical Center Foundation recently announced that it reached its goal and raised $2,288,291 million through the Living Well Together capital campaign in support of the new ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano. The total raised exceeded the $2.25 million goal of the campaign.
The new $50 million hospital, slated for completion in September 2015, will include special features funded by the foundation’s campaign. They include a state of the art wireless nurse call system; a seating area to enjoy the healing garden on the grounds of the new building; a new canopy over the existing clinic entrance; and artwork throughout the hospital that celebrates the many cultures of the Shawano area.
Linda Gilbert, director of the SMC Foundation, said it was exciting to see how campaign brought the community’s support for local health care to light. The Living Well Together campaign was launched at a Foundation dinner in 2012. Capital campaign donors were recently treated to a special hard hat tour of the facility under construction, after which the fundraising announcement was made.
“Individual, corporate, and family and business foundations made this achievement possible. It is a phenomenal once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us to see a hospital built right before our eyes in our own community,” said Holly Zander. “They didn’t just pull something out of a catalog—this facility has truly been designed for Shawano.”
Douglas Wilson, CEO of Cooperative Resources International (CRI) in Shawano, said his company sees the value in a robust health care system in the city. “We bring many outsiders to Shawano for interviews, and as we attempt to attract new professionals to CRI, we hear over and over again what their priorities are—health care and education. From our vantage point, the merger with ThedaCare, the consolidation of the clinic and hospital sites, and the construction of the new hospital are huge benefits. Not only do we attract new people, we use these resources help to keep our existing workforce healthy.”
“People understood what we were getting with the ThedaCare consolidation, and we understood that ThedaCare was willing to invest in our community,” said Ed Grys, past president of the SMC Foundation. “The people of Shawano have always stepped up when the need is well-communicated. Our people respond and make it the best that we can make it.”
ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of seven hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, Shawano Medical Center, Berlin Memorial Hospital, Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital, and Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca.. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and ThedaCare At Home. ThedaCare is one of the largest employers in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,803 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
