To ensure access to innovative emergency obstetrical care, ThedaCare is pleased to announce the creation of an Obstetrical Emergency Department (OB-ED) and Hospitalist Program. The addition of these hospital-based women’s services can help ThedaCare continue providing comprehensive, safe care for expectant mothers and babies in Northeast and Central Wisconsin.
“This program has the potential to impact not only our generation, but generations to come,” said Lynn Detterman, Senior Vice President of the ThedaCare South Region. “The commitment to implementing the OB-ED and Hospitalist Program can lead to healthier mothers and babies. And that will ultimately lead to healthier communities, which is ThedaCare’s mission. We are proud to enhance and create services to support our vision.”
ThedaCare is working with provider partners to develop best practices in care for expectant mothers, which can help improve patient outcomes and experience, and continue advancing maternal care in the area. Typically located in a labor and delivery unit, providers in the OB-ED can care for pregnant women who come to the hospital for obstetrical concerns such as abdominal pain or bleeding. The program would operate around the clock, and be staffed by board-certified physician specialists.
“The OB-ED and Hospitalist Program can redefine the standard of women’s care in the hospital setting to help continue safe patient care,” said Dr. Eric Eberts, Department Chair of Obstetrics at ThedaCare. “Because a trained physician evaluates every patient, our goal is that expectant mothers can leave the hospital with peace of mind, focusing on the health and well-being of their family.”
Through this OB-ED and program, women who are more than 16 weeks pregnant would bypass the emergency department and go directly to an obstetrical triage area located in the Family Birth Center at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. This program will supplement the care of a woman’s OB provider. Her doctor will continue to provide care in the facility. The program ensures a highly specialized doctor to be available to evaluate a woman immediately, without waiting for the patient’s doctor to arrive on site, or providing a consultation over-the-phone.
“The OB-ED and hospitalist program can help ensure that expectant mothers continue to receive timely, specialized care for themselves and their babies,” said Dr. Eberts. “We will have providers with the patient, ready to step in to provide care and help improve outcomes and peace of mind.”
Dr. Eberts noted that the program aims to provide support for ThedaCare’s other hospitals, including those in rural communities. For example, providers can deliver telehealth consultations alongside providers at other campuses.
In 2022, ThedaCare announced a $100 million investment to enhance and expand services at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. As a part of the Modernization Project, the Family Birth Center at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah will be updated, which will include the addition of triage beds for the OB-ED.
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. Donors have already graciously contributed more than $15M to date, and continue to work with our community to provide everyone an opportunity to invest in this historic campaign.
Theda’s Story
The creation of an OB-ED and Hospitalist Program is an important milestone in ThedaCare’s history. For 113 years, ThedaCare has proudly provided care for the people in Northeast and Central Wisconsin, and that opportunity 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.
Before her sudden passing at age 32 in 1903, just three days after giving birth to her only child, 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. On October 18, 1909, the sixth birthday for Theda’s daughter, ThedaCare opened its first doors.
“ThedaCare is honored to continue the vision of the Theda Clark Peters and her family by providing care to patients and families, and empowering each person to live their unique, best life,” said Detterman. “The creation of the OB-ED and Hospitalist Program can help ensure mothers and babies 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.”
The OB-ED and Hospitalist Program is set to begin in late summer 2023.
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 eight 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.
