BELLEVUE (NBC 26) — The community was invited to tour Green Bay ER and Hospital's brand-new building in Bellevue on Wednesday evening.
- Staff says the micro-hospital is the first of its kind in the state
- The brother-sister duo set to run the place say they want to do things differently in healthcare
- The hospital is partnered with a corporation out of Texas
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
This is the site of the area's newest hospital. But, it's different from the ones located just minutes away. Bellevue is soon to be home to Wisconsin's first-ever micro-hospital.
They say it's the first of its kind in the state.
"Working on a smaller scale and really focusing on the things that can help minimize the frustrations that a typical person faces when they're in the emergency department."
That's what inspired Dr. Matthew Freeman to open a micro-hospital in northeast Wisconsin with his sister Michelle Petersen.
They hope the smaller-scale operation will mean less wait time for patients and more one on one time with a doctor.
"We are not a replacement for the large hospitals."
A ten minute drive from both Saint Vincent and Bellin Hospitals, the Green Bay ER and Hospital has inpatient and outpatient services including MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound, and a lab.
They do not have an operating room or an intensive care unit.
"80% of people who come to any emergency department, big or small, 80% of people, go home. They don't need an operating room, they don't need an ICU," Freeman said. "So, I think there is a need. There's a significant subset of people who can get adequate care here without question."
But Freeman says if someone comes in that does need surgery, or other care the Green Bay ER and Hospital can't provide, the staff will put the patient in an ambulance to get them where they need to go.
Freeman says they will accept all commercial insurances.
"We will accept in-network benefits for all emergencies."
Petersen says the staff has experience in larger hospital settings and are looking for the opportunity to do things differently.
"The opportunity to truly validate someone's concerns and make them feel listened to, and that they have not only an ear and someone that they can trust, but that there's a plan."
The hospital is set to open in a few weeks.
