Marshfield Clinic Health System has announced Marshfield Medical Center in Eau Claire will more than double its labor and delivery beds.
According to a press release, Marshfield Medical Center will expand from eight beds in its obstetrics unit to 20 beds. The increase in capacity means they will be able to assist in an additional 550 births each year. The move comes as Chippewa Valley medical providers attempt to adjust to the announced closures of all HSHS and Prevea facilities in the region, including HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital.
In the press release, Marshfield Medical Center – Eau Claire said “As other hospitals and health systems are making difficult decisions, we have determined the steps we can take to increase delivery and labor beds for expectant mothers and their families.”
The organization will also explore other avenues for increasing its services for Chippewa Valley residents. Alongside other medical providers in the area, Marshfield Medical Center is preparing for an increase in patient volume, particularly in emergency and urgent care departments. The organization is actively recruiting additional employees, including some from the soon to close hospitals and clinics.
In addition to increasing the number of labor and delivery beds available, state lawmakers have proposed legislation to reallocate $15 million to emergency departments in Chippewa and Eau Claire counties. The funding would act as a short term solution to the expected increase in the number of patients seen in places like the Marshfield Medical Center. It would give state lawmakers a chance to come up with a more permanent solution to the healthcare access crisis the closing of HSHS and Prevea facilities will create.
Pike Lake Annual Fun Day
9/6/2024 | Austin Brumet
The Pike Lake Volunteer Fire Department hosted their annual Fun Day, bringing in crowds of attendees in support of the department.
Lugerville Church Set to Close
9/6/2024 | Austin Brumet
Park Falls, Wis. (WCQM/WPFP) – Our Savior’s Episcopal Church in Lugerville, will be closing. They were the first established church in Lugerville when they were first founded in 1938 and moved locations several times until 1949 when the church acquired the former South Fork School. The building was then moved ten miles to Lugerville, where […]
Governor Tim Walz Discusses Rural America and the 2024 Election on The Chad Holmes Show
9/6/2024 | Teri Barr
The Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee talks about his rural roots, bipartisanship, and what he orders at Culver’s on WXCO Radio.
Wisconsin’s long-term care crisis: Staffing troubles, low Medicaid rates prompt closures
9/6/2024 | Addie Costello / Wisconsin Watch and WPR
Low state reimbursement rates through Medicaid have depressed provider revenue and worker pay at assisted living facilities.
Madison Police Chief Calls for Police Officers to Return to MMSD Schools
9/6/2024 | Savanna Tomei-Olson
MADISON, Wis. – Madison’s police chief has called for resource officers to return to the city’s schools. On Wednesday, a 14-year-old boy shot and killed four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Nine more were hurt. School resource officers were able to find the shooter within minutes, and he surrendered. Madison Police Chief […]