ThedaCare Medical Center-Wild Rose is the first hospital in North America to install the DG Reader Net semi-automated analyzer, used to facilitate pre-transfusion blood type compatibility testing. “We screen for antibodies, antigens, as well as determine the blood type. The DG Reader Net sem…

Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield has created a new EMS coordinator team that will help build stronger working relationships with local first responders and medical units at the hospital.

The Chartis Center for Rural Health has released its annual list of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) for 2021. Included on the list was Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Tomahawk.

Security Health Plan of Wisconsin has received two service quality awards including its fifth consecutive world-class customer experience certification for 2020 from Service Quality Measurement (SQM), a leading North American research firm that specializes in customer service improvement.

Mid-State Technical College and Aspirus Health Care have opened their new Health Care Simulation Center in Wisconsin Rapids.

For the fifth consecutive year, Aspirus Health Foundation has awarded three medical students scholarships totaling $450,000 through its Aspirus Scholars Program.

The Marshfield Fire and Rescue Department and Mid-State Technical College have entered into a new 10-year collaborative agreement to expand local and regional training offerings in fire protection and emergency services. The training will take place at 2615 South Vine Ave. at the current tra…

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced a $6.1 million investment to support community-based organizations in raising awareness and access to the COVID-19 vaccine in communities that have faced both historical and current barriers to healthcare services and the COVID-19 vaccine.

NANCY BARTHEL HEALTHCARE

As more Wisconsinites receive COVID-19 vaccinations, health care providers are being asked if individuals who have not been vaccinated can visit those who have.

The City of Wausau has recognized Aspirus Health with the Wausau Sustainability Award for its work to help create a more sustainable and energy-smart Wausau.

Marshfield Clinic Health System has announced creation of Community Corps, a program of AmeriCorps, that will place 80 fulltime staff across Wisconsin to support healthcare organizations, nonprofits and government agencies in addressing local health priorities. 

UW-Stevens Point reports that many students who are working toward degrees in nursing, clinical laboratory science and other health-related majors, are working full-time during the pandemic while taking full-time classes. 

Free rapid results COVID-19 tests are again available to community members at all three University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campuses. Testing began again on Feb. 1.

Aspirus Health has added its first all-electric vehicle (EV) to its fleet of company vehicles in Wausau, which is being used to transport lab specimens between Aspirus Wausau's testing center and a regional lab.

Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in Wausau announced Jan. 21 what it is calling “a one-of-a-kind apprenticeship program that aims to help increase essential healthcare workers.” 

Astudy of 17 schools in south Wood County that implemented measures such as mask wearing to limit the spread of COVID-19 shows that cases among students and teachers who participated in inperson learning remained “very low.” 

Free rapid-results COVID-19 tests continue to be available to community members at all three UW-Stevens Point campuses in January.

Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua announced it performed the 100th robotic surgery since opening on June 15, 2020. The da Vinci Xi Surgical System allows for minimally invasive robotic surgeries such as general surgery, gynecological and urologic procedures. The hospital also celebrated its…

An at-home COVID-19 saliva collection kit is now available to all Wisconsinites — with or without symptoms — at no cost. The goal is to make testing accessible to everyone.

Approximately 50 U.S. Army medical personnel, part of a Department of Defense COVID-19 operation, assisted healthcare providers at four Marshfield Clinic Health System hospitals with COVID-19 staffing in December. The assistance was the result of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) …

The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) has announced $620,940 in grants to 16 nonprofits that provide services to Wisconsin veterans and their families.

Aspirus Wausau Hospital is one of two Wisconsin hospitals named to the Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals in America for 2021 by Fortune and IBM Watson Health. This year's study included 980 U.S. hospitals with cardiovascular service lines.

Gov. Tony Evers recently issued Executive Order No. 94, advising Wisconsinites to stay home and avoid gatherings with members outside of their household.

Master of Science in Genetic Counseling program has been granted new program accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Council.The program joins 54 accredited genetic counseling programs nationwide and will help fill a need for genetic counselors in Wisconsin. According t…

Kevin Rist of Aspirus Heart & Vascular in Wausau has performed an implant of Abbott’s Gallant implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

Wisconsin's food producers — the rural farm community — is at particular risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative has unveiled its Wisconsin Cancer Plan 2020- 2030, which lays out a blueprint to create a healthier Wisconsin to reduce the burden of cancer statewide.

Free rapid-results COVID-19 tests are available to community members at all three University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) campuses.

has again been recognized among the nation’s leading health plans by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for 2021.

The Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health has announced publication of a new fact sheet on disparities in youth justice and what communities can do to make a difference. It can be found at children.wi.gov.

UW Health and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health are among the first sites in the country to study whether an investigational vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca can prevent COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Each day across the United States, an average of 20 veterans or active military members die by suicide. In Wisconsin, the most recent report on the impact of suicide found that, from 2013 to 2017, veterans accounted for almost one out of every five suicide deaths.

Aspirus has named Jeff Wicklander as the new president of Aspirus Wausau Hospital and Central Region. He assumed his role on Oct. 26 and reports directly to Matthew Heywood, president and CEO of the Aspirus system.

Ascension, Aspirus and Marshfield Clinic Health System have issued a joint statement, encouraging the community “to take the steps we know can reduce the spread of COVID19,” encouraging community members to follow “the guidance of public health agencies by wearing a face covering, practicing…

UW Health and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health are among the first sites in the country to study whether an investigational vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca can prevent COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Kathy Palm, trauma and EMS coordinator for Aspirus Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids, is the recipient of the first annual Spirit Award.

Marshfield Clinic Health System is now welcoming patients to Cattails Cottage, a home on the Marshfield Medical Center campus in Marshfield for oncology patients to stay while undergoing cancer treatments.

US News and World Report announced its annual list of Best Hospitals for 2020. Of the 146 Wisconsin hospitals it evaluated, 15 hospitals met what US News and World Report describes as their “high standards.”

The city of Wausau announced that a $25M rehabilitation hospital will be constructed on the city’s westside. However, an exact location has not yet been determined.

ThedaCare Medical Center-Waupaca has been recognized as a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital in the nation by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. The recognition was announced at the virtual National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Critical Access Hospital Conference, held Sept. 23-25.

Mental Health Unit in Stevens Point is the 2020 recipient of the Providing Hope Award from the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Coalition of Portage County. It is awarded annually to individuals or agencies that provide hope to the community for people who struggle with mental …

The Wisconsin Technical College System Board and Mid-State Technical College have honored Aspirus Riverview Hospital and Clinics in Wisconsin Rapids with the 2020 Futuremaker Partner Award.

Security Health Plan of Wisconsin Inc. urges Wisconsin residents who have lost their health insurance in 2020 to see if they qualify for the recently-announced national emergency special enrollment period (SEP). It is available to any Wisconsin resident who qualified for a SEP in 2020 but mi…

Aspirus Arise, a Northcentral Wisconsin health-plan provider serving 20 counties, will change its name to Aspirus Health Plan, effective January 2021. 

Security Health Plan  is offering Wisconsin employers a new health-plan option for 2021 that has a predictable monthly cost, opportunity for refunds, protection against catastrophic expenses and transparency on how dollars are spent. 

Data reported Aug. 19 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) from COVID-19 contact tracing indicates that the percent of people with confirmed cases after attending a gathering with people outside their home grew from seven percent of cases in May to 21 percent in June and 20…

In recognition for achievements and innovation in healthcare sustainability, three Aspirus Hospitals have received the 2020 Partner Recognition Award from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in healthcare.