Children's Wisconsin, Bellin Health and ThedaCare announce new pediatric partnership

Three leading healthcare organizations – Bellin Health, Children's Wisconsin and ThedaCare — are announcing a new pediatric joint venture with a shared focus on improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents in Northeast and Central Wisconsin, as well as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Through focused coordination, closer alignment, and resource investments, the partnership will make a meaningful impact on the lives of children, adolescents, their families, and the region's communities. 

The organizations, which will remain independent entities and continue to be responsible for the day-to-day operations of pediatric services at their clinics and facilities, will work closely together to enhance pediatric primary and specialty care to benefit children and adolescents in this growing region. Each partner organization will play an essential role, with direct benefits to patients that include: 

• Bringing additional pediatric services and specialists to the region to expand access to local, close-to-home care.
  
  
• Reducing the need for children and their families to travel outside the region when a higher level of care is needed. 
  
  
• Consistent, best-practice standards of care across each organization's care settings in the region.
  
  
• Tailored child and adolescent services that meet community-specific needs with the right resources, expertise, skilled providers and clinical staff, technology and more.
  
  
• Better and more efficient care through seamless care coordination and tighter alignment across the three systems. 

"Through this partnership, we will create a destination for pediatric health and well-being right here in Northeast Wisconsin," said Imran Andrabi, MD, president and CEO, ThedaCare. "By working together in new and innovative ways, we will make additional pediatric services available closer to home for people in the region and provide a consistent experience that utilizes best-practice standards of care for patients and families across our organizations." 

"While patients today will continue to see the providers they know and trust at the locations in their communities, when patients need a higher level of care, this partnership will allow us to seamlessly transition that care through greater team connectivity, shared processes, and more," said Chris Woleske, president and CEO, Bellin Health. "The result will be a better patient experience that saves families valuable time, energy, and cost, allowing them to focus on what matters most — supporting their loved ones."

“We are excited to partner with the excellent teams at Bellin Health and ThedaCare to ensure more kids have local access to the care and services they need,” said Peggy Troy, president and CEO of Children's Wisconsin. "As Wisconsin's only independent pediatric health system, Children's Wisconsin collaborates with health systems across the state. We will continue to work closely with all of the organizations we do today and are committed to serving as a critical ongoing resource for all our colleagues whose patients need access to the care and services we provide." 

Recognizing that pediatricians and family medicine providers are the vital home base for the children and adolescents the organizations serve, the joint venture will align each partner's existing primary and pediatric specialty care expertise. Importantly, the partnership builds on the existing long-term relationships between Children's Wisconsin and ThedaCare, and between ThedaCare and Bellin Health. 

For instance, Bellin and ThedaCare have robust primary care networks that together provide more than 180,000 pediatric care visits with nearly 430 providers across approximately 70 locations throughout the region. Children's Wisconsin has operated a pediatric hospital, including a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Unit, at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah since 2001. It also offers dozens of pediatric specialties, including more than 20 in Northeast Wisconsin, and is one of the top-ranked pediatric health systems in the country. Children's Wisconsin also recently announced plans for a new outpatient clinic representing a significant investment in the region.

A Joint Operating Board with three representatives from each partner organization will govern the joint venture.

Please visit: childrenswi.org, bellin.org or thedacare.org for information about the partnership.

Children's Wisconsin Media Relations

Most children spend very little time interacting with doctors, nurses, or other health care professionals. To make a significant impact on children's overall health, we reach out to families beyond our hospital and clinic walls.