Site Selected for New Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Clinic

Milwaukee, Wis. (May 8, 2018) – A new health care clinic to serve residents of Milwaukee’s near south side will be built in West Milwaukee on a 2.3 acre site at 4603 W. Mitchell St., pending approval of the Village of West Milwaukee Plan Commission. If approved, construction will begin by fall 2018, with completion expected in summer 2019.

Targeting one of Milwaukee County’s most medically underserved neighborhoods, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network announced a $12 million commitment in August 2015 to build the clinic, in partnership with Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. A site search has been underway since then.

“After an exhaustive search to find the right site and knowing the serious need for access to health care services in the city, we are eager to get started,” said Cathy Jacobson, president and chief executive officer of Froedtert Health. “With this clinic, we are investing in a sustainable, long-term solution that will have the greatest impact on the health and well-being of the people who live here. This commitment follows our recent investment to serve the heart of the city and the north side at the Froedtert & MCW McKinley Health Center, which we opened last fall.”

Jacobson added, “We’re fortunate to be working with the Sixteenth Street team, an experienced partner that understands the needs of this population.”

She noted that the location for the new clinic was based on a community health needs assessment coordinated by the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, community interviews and input from Sixteenth Street leadership, which all identified the area as significantly lacking access to health care services.

“We are steadfast in our commitment to breaking down barriers to care by bringing quality medical and behavioral health care into communities most in need and addressing social determinants of health through community-based strategies,” said Julie Schuller, MD, president and CEO of Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. “This new clinic will allow us to expand access to care for thousands of individuals and families and better serve those we are already touching through increased provider capacity and enhanced space for supplemental and community services.”

Froedtert Health will purchase the property, build and furnish the clinic. Plans call for a one-story, approximately 24,000-square-foot structure that will be home to primary care with integrated behavioral health services, a care model offered by Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers providers. Froedtert & MCW will be the specialty care referral health network for patients who require advanced care. Supportive social services, a pharmacy, wellness classes and a demonstration kitchen for community cooking classes also will be available.

Jacobson noted that programs and services planned for the clinic reflect the Froedtert & MCW health network’s commitment to improve health equity and eliminate cancer health disparities in southeastern Wisconsin. Cancer prevention education will be available onsite from MCW providers along with a bilingual community health worker to help patients navigate their care. Specialty care and access to cancer clinical trials will be available through MCW physicians and the Froedtert & MCW academic medical center. The new clinic also will serve as an education site for MCW medical and pharmacy students and residents.

When the clinic is fully operational, it is projected to serve 12,000 patients a year who are currently without needed care, expanding Sixteenth Street Health Centers’ overall capacity to nearly 50,000 people. The organization currently operates three full- service clinics in Milwaukee County and one in Waukesha County; school based-clinics in St. Augustine Prep and St. Anthony Schools; and a satellite geriatric clinic at the United Community Center as well as a WIC, Women, Infant and Children, clinic. The clinics offer primary medical care, behavioral health services, substance abuse services, social services, various supplemental services, community advocacy and overall family health care. Annually, approximately 38,000 patients are seen at the clinics.

Kahler Slater is the architect for the new clinic; J.P Cullen is the contractor. Froedtert Health will provide onsite supervision and support throughout the project.

Renderings

About Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin

The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin supporting a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health network operates eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center and adult Level I Trauma Center at Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, an internationally recognized training and research center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies. The Froedtert & MCW health network, which includes five hospitals, one of which is a nationally ranked academic medical center, more than 1,600 physicians and nearly 40 health centers and clinics, draws patients from throughout the Midwest and the nation. In our most recent fiscal year, outpatient visits exceeded 1.1 million, inpatient admissions to our hospitals were 49,250 and visits to our network physicians totaled 932,000.  For more information, visit  froedtert.com.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.