Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin opened the first of four announced small-scale community hospitals with plans for a second opening later in December.
The first location opened Nov. 30 and is adjacent to the existing Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin clinic in New Berlin at 4805 S. Moorland Road.
Froedtert & the Medical College said the new facility will compliment many of the New Berlin health center’s services, such as urgent care, cardiology, orthopedics and sports medicine.
The hospitals measure about 18,000 square feet and provide emergency and inpatient care. Each hospital will have a seven-bed emergency department with nine inpatient beds at New Berlin for patients requiring additional care, observation and tests.
The hospitals, which also will have laboratory, pharmacy and imaging services, are designed to treat medical emergencies that require attention beyond an urgent care clinic’s capability.
The second location, which will open on a date to be determined, will be in Pewaukee at 209 Pewaukee Road and will include eight inpatient beds.
“We see our community hospitals in New Berlin and Pewaukee as a way to keep safe, high-quality care close to home in a convenient setting that is easy to navigate,” said Cathy Jacobson, president and CEO of Froedtert Health. “This hospital model aligns with our continued investment and commitment to provide access to academic medicine to the communities we serve and deliver the right care in the right place at the right time.”
The small hospitals help address the issue of hospital capacity at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa and across the Froedtert & Medical College system, Jacobson said. Froedtert Health also runs hospitals in Menomonee Falls and West Bend as well as a network of clinics with the Medical College.
Two additional locations have been identified and are scheduled to open in early 2022: Oak Creek at Drexel Town Square and Mequon on Port Washington Road.
The small hospitals are staffed by Medical College of Wisconsin emergency physicians and registered nurses. The hospitals are expected to each employ about 40 full- and part-time staff.
The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin, both of which are based in Wauwatosa.
Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) is the architect for the four community hospitals.
Rich Kirchen, Senior Reporter
Milwaukee Business Journal