DARLINGTON – In the hills of Lafayette County stands the state’s only remaining county-owned hospital and it’s about to get new life in the form of a nearly $52 million replacement facility funded in large part by grants – among them at least $4 million from federal and COVID-19-related relief funds.
In a major and desperately needed win for rural health care in the state – and the local economy – the new Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County building is set for construction in 2023, following news earlier this month that the Lafayette County Board had given preliminary authorization of a bond issue to pay for it. When complete, the hospital will replace the current, 1950s-era facility, which officials say is woefully inadequate for providing high-level care.
“At the end of the day, our current facility is inefficient and way past its life,” said Molly Wiegel, memorial’s chief operating officer. “And our staff is wonderful but some of the higher-level care is uncomfortable territory for them. If we are able to do it, we do it.”
The news, she said, couldn’t have come at a better time, as the hospital is doing its part to fight the pandemic in rural southwest Wisconsin. As is the case with nurses and other healthcare workers nationally, the health workers at MHLC are feeling the effects of consistently high census levels of patients; and by being asked to provide ICU-level care in a facility not designed for it.
Typically, she said, the hospital refers its complex and specialized cases to its affiliated hospital Meriter/Unity Point in Madison; or another regional facility. But lately they have had to keep more of those patients in Darlington; and even have other hospitals calling them to find beds for their sick patients.
“Our staff are tired, they’re exhausted just like everywhere else, but we are holding our own” said Wiegel. “This new building really is a real silver lining for them to look forward to.”
It will be a state-of-the-art, 24-bed hospital located on 36 acres at the corner of County K and Wis Hwy 23. But it still is awaiting final design and engineering work, said Jack Sauer, chairman of the county board. The emphasis in the design will be on patient flow through the facility, privacy and technology updates. Toward that end, the county also has applied for separate grant for a $4 million MRI machine.
Preliminary artist renderings reflect a light-filled and modern setting, one in which the logo and philosophy of MHLC is proudly displayed: “We are neighbors, caring for neighbors.”
About $12 million of the facility’s initial cost will be covered by state and federal grants, including about $4 million from a federal COVID-19 relief fund; state and other federal programs. The remainder will be paid through the county bond issue. Sauer, though, estimates that while the county contributes about $2.2 million to the hospital annually, about $1.6 million of that is reimbursed through Medicare; and there are other revenue streams that help the hospital remain viable without hitting taxpayers too hard.
Some initial plans for the project included the possibility of a nursing home or assisted-living type facility on the hospital campus but – while there is still room for it – the board opted not to pursue that part of the project, at least initially, he said.
“Our current facility is past its life,” he said, noting that there have been several additions and renovations to the hospital over the years. “It was really built as an outpatient facility but we’ve had to make do with what we had to work with.”
The hospital also has a big impact on Lafayette County’s economy, Sauer said. In fact, according to Wiegel there are about 150 total employees associated with it, including contracted staff and those working at its other clinic locations in Argyle and Shullsburg.
Wiegel said the community is committed to its hospital and doesn’t anticipate it being acquired by one of the major, big health systems in the near future.
“(Health) Systems have their pros and cons but the (County) board very much wants local control,” she said.