Editorial: Building off the power of two

Oconomowoc Focus, August 14, 2008

Remember the hospital wars?

Oconomowoc was gripped by two competing forces, the long-standing Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital owned by ProHealth, and the new kid on the block, Aurora Hospital System, the largest healthcare provider in the state. There was a lot of finger pointing and accusations that divided the community for several years.

We can all spend a lot of time discussing which side was right and what the consequences are, but that no longer matters.

The wars are over. Now comes the peace.

Try to imagine any other community the size of Oconomowoc that has not one, but two hospitals within its borders. Add to that the associated satellite clinics and care centers that go with it. Supplement that with well-paid doctors and medical staffs that need a place to live, work and shop close to the place where they spend so much time. Leverage that with the amount of additional business created by the traffic these will create, and you have a huge economic impact.

Oconomowoc has a great opportunity here, to have two fine institutions in the same proximity. Perhaps calling Oconomowoc the Mini-Mayo of Wisconsin is a stretch, but then again look at how Marshfield Clinic became a household name in America?s Dairyland.

Certainly there will continue to be rivalry between two competing healthcare organizations as the years go by, but what the leaders of Oconomowoc have to tap into is how the perceived or potential synergy can blossom into full flower for the community. The city of 5 Os now has 2 Hs, ? and that ?Oh!? factor is enough to make a lot of people take notice.