For more than 112 years, ThedaCare has proudly provided care for the people in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The opportunity to deliver comprehensive care to hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites was made possible more than a century ago when Theda Clark Peters directed a significant portion of her estate to be used to build a hospital in Neenah so that people in the community would have local access to medical care.
In 1909, Theda Clark Memorial Hospital opened with 20 beds, one operating room, one emergency room and one delivery room.
“As was Theda’s wish, her generosity transformed the quality of life for this community, and her legacy lives on through ThedaCare,” said Imran A. Andrabi, MD, President and CEO of ThedaCare. “Our organization is honored to continue her vision by serving patients and families, and empowering each person to live their unique, best life through easy access to outstanding individualized care. Understanding the needs of the communities we serve, it is time to ensure those living in this area have the most up-to-date technology, and facilities designed with patients in mind to allow care teams to continue to offer the right care, in the right place, for generations to come.”
Inspired Past. Healthier Future.
The ThedaCare Board of Trustees, along with support from the ThedaCare Foundation-Neenah, approved a $100 million investment to allow ThedaCare to enhance and expand services at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. The Inspired Past; Healthier Future modernization of the campus will transform health care for all those living in the region, and allow ThedaCare to continue its commitment to keeping care local in the Fox Cities.
“We are incredibly proud of ThedaCare’s deeply-rooted legacy in the community, and look forward to opportunities to enhance and expand care through this investment,” said Dr. Andrabi. “Our teams are dedicated to making care easy and accessible, helping our patients achieve better health for life.”
Focusing on the Patient and Family Experience
The architectural design of the enhancements is aimed to reduce cost, improve capacity, create sustained operational efficiency with more efficient work areas for health care teams and ultimately provide an exceptional patient experience. The design was created in partnership with physicians, clinicians and staff.
Highlights of the transformation will include:
- Expanding and redesigning the Emergency Department (ED), creating additional care space. The 20 exam rooms will include specialized rooms for trauma and behavioral health patients, all designed for the safety of patients and team member efficiency for enhanced patient care.
- Creating an additional ThedaStar Air Medical Program Helipad adjacent to the Emergency Department for rapid transfer of patients.
- Enhancing the specialized space to care for stroke patients to continue a coordinated response as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, a designation given to those hospitals that have specific abilities to care for the most complex stroke cases.
- Updating operating rooms to include advanced robotic surgical equipment, and creating four dedicated robotics suites to support better outcomes for patients, and develop an outstanding teaching environment as leaders in robotics surgery.
- Updating the Family Birth Center, allowing families to welcome little ones into the world in a modern, comfortable and soothing environment.
- Creating a new environment for the Women’s Center, which includes mammography, diagnostics and imaging, and bone density testing. The space will establish a comfortable, accessible area where women can feel confident in their personalized, proactive health care decisions.
- Improving and expanding access for Behavioral Health services by redesigning the inpatient space and reintroducing the Day Treatment program to the hospital. This move will provide a more optimal experience for our patients, a safer workplace for caregivers and build capacity for additional treatment options at other ThedaCare Behavioral Health clinic sites.
- Creating “Main Street”, where key diagnostic outpatient services will be located on the first floor of the hospital to ensure easier patient access.
- Designing a new dining area on the main floor for the convenience of visitors and team members.
“The vast updates to the physical space at the Neenah campus will benefit the entire ThedaCare system, making our teams stronger together,” explained Dr. Andrabi. “ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah will continue to serve as our anchor hospital for critical care with services such as the Level II Trauma Center, certified Comprehensive Stroke Center and emergency care located at the campus. The enhancements will advance coordinated care throughout our service area, including our critical access hospitals, giving patients greater access to innovative and specialized care, as close to home as possible.”
Construction is planned to begin in January 2022, and the modernization is expected to be complete in fall 2023. The project will create the equivalent of approximately 200 construction jobs. Project partners include: Cannon Design, Miron Construction and Hplex Solutions. Patients will continue to have access to coordinated care throughout the entire project. ThedaCare is the largest employer in the region, delivering care to more than 600,000 residents in 17 counties and employs more than 7,000 health care professionals.
Planning for the Future
A significant portion of the update at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah will include the creation of space to house a Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program, which will provide formal medical education and training for Medical Doctors and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. GMEs are commonly referred to as residencies or fellowships.
“The creation of a GME through ThedaCare will help strengthen the future of health care in Northeast and Central Wisconsin,” said Dr. Andrabi. “The investment can benefit the entire region, with an opportunity for future caregivers to attain professional development and experience in our communities, and with hope, encourage them to make a home in the Fox Cities.”
Once complete, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah will be the first hospital in Northeast Wisconsin to offer an accredited GME program outside of Milwaukee and Madison.
Generous Community Support
Throughout the last century, significant updates have been completed at the original hospital, which is now known as ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. Many of the upgrades to the hospital have been supported by community members, local businesses and organizations. The support from those who live, work and love this area is vital to success, as a health system and an overall community.
Enhancements to better the patient experience at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah were funded in part through generous donors who support the ThedaCare Foundation-Neenah. The Foundation is actively raising $15 Million to directly support this project.
“Local health care is critical to the overall strength of our community,” said John Bergstrom, Executive Chairman of Bergstrom Automotive and ThedaCare Foundation-Neenah Board Member Emeritus. “With nearly $14.3M raised to date, the legacy of philanthropic generosity and pride in this hospital remains strong. We are especially thankful for the ThedaCare Foundation-Neenah Board, as well as the members of the capital campaign cabinet, for their tireless efforts to engage with the community in this historic fundraising effort.”
The investment announcement comes as ThedaCare is on continued path to reinvent health care by becoming a proactive partner in health – enriching the lives of all and creating value in everything they do.
“At ThedaCare, building on our inspired past to create a healthier future, we must become an organization that proactively knows our patients, anticipates health wants and needs, prevents issues from arising, and creates value,” said Dr. Andrabi. “Through investments to enhance and expand services at our local hospitals, we can continue to prepare and respond to the needs of the communities we serve, keeping our patients and families safe and healthy, now and in the future.”
About ThedaCare
For more than 110 years, ThedaCare® has been committed to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 600,000 residents in 17 counties and employs approximately 7,000 health care professionals. ThedaCare has 180 points of care, including seven hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their unique best lives. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand needs, finding solutions together, and encouraging health awareness and action. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care.
For more information, visit thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on social media. Members of the media should call Cassandra Wallace, Public and Media Relations Consultant at 920.442.0328 or the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah switchboard at 920.729.3100 and ask for the marketing person on call.
