Marinette, Wis. – Aurora Health Care and Bay Area Medical Center (BAMC) have unanimously approved an agreement to form a joint venture. A ceremonial signing event will take place on August 13 at 12:30 PM in the lobby of BAMC.
The signing ceremony celebrates the two not-for-profit health care systems joining forces to elevate the standard of health care in the community both have served for more than 20 years.
“This is a historic milestone for health care in this community,” said Ed Harding, president of BAMC. “Both Aurora and BAMC have served the Marinette community for many years and this joint venture ensures that residents of our community will have access to high-quality care, close to home into the future.”
BAMC began the process to find a strategic partner in early 2012 and identified Aurora as a potential partner in late 2013.
The BAMC Board met and approved the agreement on Monday, August 11, 2014.
Aurora will serve as a minority partner in the hospital, infusing capital into BAMC and bringing advanced services to the facility, while keeping health care local. The joint venture will allow for shared resources, such as technology and supply costs. In addition, the partnership will continue to improve the quality and efficiency of care for the community.
Aurora currently has physicians and clinics in the Marinette area, but not a hospital, with the closest being a tertiary hospital, Aurora BayCare Medical Center, in Green Bay. This joint venture will provide BAMC with access to Aurora providers, depth of expertise in care management, supply chain and other areas.
“Aurora is pleased to partner with BAMC to share clinical best practices and expertise,” said Sandra Ewald, president of Aurora Health Care’s Green Bay, Manitowoc and Marinette Patient Service Market. “We are committed to health care in this community and this joint venture solidifies that.”
In the coming months, the joint venture will be establishing its new board of directors, which will then develop a recommendation for facility, clinic and physician planning. BAMC will also work towards the same electronic medical record as Aurora.
Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin-area health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve health care quality. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Aurora is Wisconsin’s most comprehensive health care provider and the state’s largest private employer. Aurora serves more than 1.2 million patients every year via a comprehensive network of facilities, services and providers, including 15 hospitals, 159 clinics, 70 pharmacies and 30,000 amazing Caregivers. As evidenced by more than 400 active clinical trials, Aurora is dedicated to delivering innovations to provide the best possible care today, and to define the best care for tomorrow. Get helpful health and wellness information via the Aurora MyHealth blog, our Facebook page, our Twitter account and our Pinterest account.
Bay Area Medical Center is a 99-bed general acute care hospital located in Northeast Wisconsin. It includes a community primary/secondary care hospital, an outpatient surgery center, and a cancer center. BAMC offers select, advanced medical services, with an emphasis on heart & vascular care, women’s services, diagnostic radiology, ambulatory surgery, obstetrics, cancer treatment, and emergency care.
Contact
Krissy Lillie
Aurora Health Care
(920) 288-3629
kristine.lillie@aurora.org
John Hofer
Bay Area Medical Center
(715) 735-4200 x3116
jhofer@bamc.org
www.bamc.org