Carol Wagner, Leader Correspondent
Photo by Carol Wagner President and CEO Dorothy Erdmann stands in front of the entrance of the new ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, which will open Sept. 20.
To those who have seen it, including President and CEO Dorothy Erdmann, the new ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, is getting rave reviews.
The new hospital is scheduled to open Sept. 20. An open house will be held Sept. 16.
“It’s coming along very well,” Erdmann said. “There will be no interruption in patient care. Everybody is working that day. It’s extremely well-organized.”
The atrium at the center of the building is the highest and most prominent part of the hospital.
“We worked really hard on natural lighting,” Erdmann said.
The east side of the new hospital has two wings. One wing is home to the rehab unit, with a classroom for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College nursing students and faculty on the second floor. The other wing includes the emergency department, with the helicopter pad nearby. The second floor includes patient beds and the obstetrics area.
Erdmann said they checked with the nearby day care center about the proximity of the landing area and was told that the children are excited about it.
Also on the first floor next to the ER will be outpatient services, which Erdmann said now accounts for the majority of care at hospitals, and a private oncology area.
“Most of the care we provide right now, you can come in and leave the same day,” Erdmann said.
The gift shop is located on the first floor near the entrance. A surgical area and food court will be located between the current clinic and the atrium. The clinic area is adding offices and exam rooms.
Staff members are already getting training in new technology, which will help provide more precise and earlier diagnosis to patients, according to Erdmann.
“All our technology is being updated so that we are at the standard of care of all hospitals no matter what their size,” she said.
The new medical center is designed to help people find where to go for their appointments and to deliver services efficiently.
“All services are on one campus,” Erdmann said. “We’re building this for the future.”
Erdmann said the project is on budget. The last item to be installed will be the flooring, which will be followed by a four-day move-in, said Erdmann, who noted the facility is intended to provide a calming, restful atmosphere.
“We created a healing environment,” she said.