Memorial Medical Center Defends Location of New Facility at Neillsville City Council Meeting
Thursday, May 11th, 2017 -- 11:54 AM
-The Neillsville City Council continues to hear praise and grievances over the location selected for Memorial Medical Center’s new facility.At the April 25th council meeting, Don Boon appeared before the council and offered a list of complaints and questions on why Memorial Medical Center had chosen the River Avenue location outside of Neillsville to build when, he felt, there were places in town they could build. At this meeting, two members of Memorial Medical Center’s Board of Directors were on hand to offer a presentation on why they chose that spot. Russell Ratsch stated that they looked at criteria to find the best location. Some of those criteria included visibility from Highway 10, size, views, cost, soil type, wetlands and the distance from Marshfield Clinic and St. Joseph’s Hospital as that mileage depends on Memorial Medical Center’s critical access status. When it was all said and done, Mr. Ratsch stated that River Avenue had the highest ranking.
Gary Weirauch was also on hand to discuss the financials of the new facility. He stated that the loan would have an interest rate around 3.5% and that would be locked on in. He also stated they’re continuing to look at partners to help make the facility more profitable like Snitemans Pharmacy and Art of Optometry. He also mentioned early negotiations with a couple others. He also stated they hope this new facility will help attract and retain doctors and nurses. Finally, he ended his presentation by asking that the community not turn this project into a political football. He said nothing is set in stone and many things could change. He said the hospital is only asking for support from the community and city in regards to permitting and other items. They are not asking for dollars. He said the hospital currently has a young and energetic staff leading the facility and if they are not supported in this, they could take their energy elsewhere and the community could lose their hospital within the next few years.
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