SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - When the announcement was made, staff at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital let out a collective gasp, and then applauded what they had just seen and heard.
The hospital’s foundation received a one-million dollar donation from the ACUITY Charitable Foundation Thursday for its 125th Anniversary Capital Progress Campaign.
ACUITY President and CEO Ben Salzmann says his company has always had a history of supporting facilities that provide health care in the Sheboygan community, and advancing the level of care. He adds they are hopeful that this donation, and others made in the future will do just that.
Hospital President and CEO Andy Bagnall says the donation will be used to fund the new ACUITY Intensive Care and Intermediate Care Unit. The 11 million dollar project will see the hospital’s fifth floor to accommodate the new unit.
The reason for the change is to update the hospital’s intensive care unit, which has remained mostly the same since it was first put in back in the late 1970s, to match current and future technology and patient needs. “We’re seeing more complex cases, those that are patients that are our facility and our hospital today. As we look forward to the aging population, critical care, we believe, is going to be very important as we look to grow our services in our community.”
The renovations, which also include a redesign of the hospital’s operating rooms, are expected to begin in early December. Bagnall says all work should be completed by this time next year. He also adds that the hospital may be performing other upgrades and renovations in the future, but that is all in the planning stages for now.