From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Aspirus Wausau Hospital has finished construction on its emergency department expansion, which began taking patients this week.
The expansion project, which added eight new patient rooms in its final phase, was prompted by rising demand for emergency services and trauma care in the Wausau region, according to the hospital.
Its ED now has 30 total treatment spaces, and additions include “enhanced” trauma and critical care rooms. When the project began in 2022, the department had 18 beds.
The announcement notes the hospital’s role as a regional referral and tertiary care center, offering specialized and advanced care. Now that the expansion project is finished, the ED is now “equipped to handle a broader range” of emergency cases, including life-threatening conditions, the hospital says.
Mason Lucca, ED director for the hospital, says the final phase of the expansion is adding “more than just physical space.”
“It represents our ongoing commitment to providing timely, high-quality emergency care to people throughout our service area,” Lucca said in a statement.
See the release below.
— Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health is urging policymakers to prioritize school-based mental health services in the coming biennial budget.
The OCMH, under the state Department of Health Services, this week called for sustainable investments in such services, “as proposed by Gov. Tony Evers in his 2025-2027 budget.”
The governor has proposed a number of related provisions, including funding for mental health professional staff at schools, psychiatric residential treatment for young people, and student-led suicide prevention efforts, according to the OCMH. See details on related provisions in an overview from the office.
“We’ve all heard of the long wait lists for kids to get mental health help,” Linda Hall, director of the OCMH, said in a statement. “Our kids can’t wait for a spot to open on a provider’s waitlist. We need to help kids today and one of the most strategic investments we can make is in school-based mental health.”
See the office’s release below.
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Press Releases
– Aspirus Wausau Hospital: Completes emergency department expansion
– Dept. of Health Services: Investing in school-based mental health will improve youth mental health
