Froedtert South announces plans to expand community care services

Froedtert South, a comprehensive regional healthcare system serving southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois communities, announced Friday (Sept. 9) that it is moving forward with plans to reposition services to continue to meet the needs of Kenosha County and surrounding communities.

Plans include converting underutilized space at Froedtert Kenosha Hospital to host much-needed inpatient and outpatient mental health and inpatient rehabilitation services, while converting the Froedtert Kenosha Hospital emergency department to 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week urgent care services.

Froedtert Kenosha Hospital’s inpatient services and emergency department services will be transitioned to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital, in a continuation of repositioning efforts with the centralization of surgical and interventional services at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital in late 2019. Both transitions are expected to be complete by October 1, 2022.

Froedtert South’s repositioning efforts were put on hold with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenosha County in early 2020, when Froedtert Kenosha Hospital immediately expanded capacity to focus on providing essential care to COVID patients. Now, with COVID admissions declining, Froedtert South leaders are confident that the time is right to convert the underutilized space to host much-needed services for the community.

“We’re exceptionally proud of the role Froedtert Kenosha Hospital has played for our community as we weathered the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Froedtert South President & CEO Ric Schmidt. 

“Our pivot to treat COVID patients demonstrated our commitment to meeting the needs of our community. And now, with our plans to continue repositioning, we look forward to the next chapter in how we’ll continue providing the care that members of our communities need most.”

In addition to providing much-needed inpatient mental health and inpatient rehabilitation services, the transition of the emergency department to urgent care will bring much-needed, cost-effective care for minor, non-life-threatening illness and injuries.

“Our commitment to the people of Kenosha and to Kenosha County as a whole is strong,” said Schmidt. “We look forward to continuing to find ways to provide exceptional and compassionate care while we promote the well-being of those we serve.”