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July 8, 2024
PARK FALLS – Marshfield Medical Center-Park Falls activated a new emergency medical services radio tower last month – replacing the facility’s 60-year-old tower.
According to Kirk Dunlap, Marshfield Clinic’s senior project manager, the new tower reaches 150 feet tall and has an operating range of 1,600 square miles – the same specifications as the old tower but also features new radio capabilities.
“The issue was not so much the technology as the structural issues with the existing tower,” he said. “We had it inspected and checked to see if we could keep it or reinforce it. But the answer was ‘no,’ it needs to be replaced.”
Dunlap said the tower’s antenna and radio upgrades allow it to also scan for dispatch center communications throughout the same 1,600-square-mile distance – which will be used by EMS, police and fire departments in 19 communities throughout Price County, including the Park Falls Police Department and the Price County Sheriff’s Office.
This, he said, means members of the Emergency Department (ED) can now monitor 911 dispatches as they happen – which he said saves precious time during emergencies.
“The more advanced notice our ED team has the better,” he said.
A bit of history
The Park Falls hospital, Dunlap said, was established more than 100 years ago, but it wasn’t until the past few decades it has been part of the Marshfield Clinic Health System.
Access to “excellent rural healthcare,” he said, is at the heart of Marshfield Clinic Health System’s mission – a statement that matches the mood of the community.
Dunlap said the project was funded through a $190,000 grant from the Marshfield Medical Center Park Falls Foundation – which is supported by local donors and system partners.
“It is the community helping the community, as is often the case in these rural hospitals,” he said. “They know what it’s like to get in a car from Price County and drive to Minocqua or Rice Lake (for care). It’s much better to drive to Park Falls.”
Critical access hospitals like Park Falls, Dunlap said, are beneficial to rural communities due to the need for convenient healthcare access and their economic impacts.
“They are often the biggest employers in those communities – whether it’s Neillsville, Ladysmith or Park Falls,” he said.
Onto the next phase
The new tower, Dunlap said, was part of Phase 1 of Marshfield Medical Center-Park Falls’ plans to renovate and modernize its facilities.
“We’re replacing half the hospital,” he said. “The inpatient unit, the physical therapy and occupational therapy units and the support functions of the hospital.”
Support functions include administrative offices, building services, housekeeping, food services and loading docks.
“Importantly, we’re getting rid of some boilers that were installed in the ’50s,” he said. “We’ve been rolling the dice to get through the last couple of winters.”
Some noteworthy aspects of the project, Dunlap said, include:
- Phase 1’s construction plans were officially completed May 8. The hospital finished transferring its staff and patients June 5.
- Phase 2 construction, which includes moves for the administrative offices and lab, is slated to begin in September and be finished by July 2025.
- Next up is the demolition of some buildings constructed in the 1950s and 1960s.
“(Previously), if you drove up, you wouldn’t know we built Phase 1 because you couldn’t see it,” he said. “(We started) demolishing the first of these little buildings July 1.”
To follow the project’s progress, check out the Marshfield Clinic Health System-Park Falls and Phillips Communities Facebook page or visit marshfieldclinic.org.
