IRON MOUNTAIN – Dickinson County Healthcare System and Marshfield Clinic Health System have finalized an affiliation agreement that creates a regional hub for Marshfield in the Upper Peninsula.

“The future of health care for our community and our region is now more capable and more secure than ever,” said Chuck Nelson, CEO of DCH. “We will move local and regional health care to even higher levels of quality and accessibility by expanding locally based services, providers and locations,” Nelson said today in press release.

Dr. Susan Turney, Marshfield Clinic Health System CEO, said it’s crucial that rural communities like Dickinson County have local access to quality health care.

“Our integrated approach allows us to offer the full continuum of health care and services in communities that truly need it,” Turney said. “Patients and rural residents deserve access to excellent care how, when and where they want to receive it, and we are proud to deliver on this promise to the Upper Peninsula.”

DCH and Marshfield Clinic signed a definitive affiliation agreement in January, which received unanimous approval from the Dickinson County Healthcare board of directors, and have completed the closing process.

With the affiliation agreement in place, Marshfield Clinic Health System will begin formally incorporating its care and operational support system into all Dickinson hospital and clinic locations. This process will take several months with the focus on expanding locally provided outpatient surgeries, supporting DCH’s large pediatric team within Marshfield Children’s Hospital, and growing DCH’s primary care provider team. Integrating Marshfield Clinic’s team and resources will also enhance emergency services.

Another primary focus of the partnership is constructing a new state-of-the-art cancer center, which will bring a full spectrum of oncology services to the region. The center will build on previous multi-million-dollar capital expenditures, including a highly advanced linear accelerator. It will provide radiation treatment and nuclear medicine technology for cancer diagnostics and allow patients to receive cancer treatments closer to home.

The hospital and clinics’ names and branding will be announced in the coming months as the incorporation process is completed.

Administrators of both systems said they are optimistic about the future of health care across the region.

DCH CEO Nelson noted, “As the only physician-led health care organization in the U.P., Marshfield Clinic Health System is ideally positioned to help lead discussions that benefit the wellbeing of the Upper Peninsula overall. This is an exciting time.”

Marshfield Clinic Health System serves Wisconsin with more than 1,400 providers comprising 170 specialties, health plan, and research and education programs. Primary operations include Marshfield Clinic, nine Marshfield Medical Center hospitals, Marshfield Children’s Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Security Health Plan, and Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation. Learn more at marshfieldclinic.org.

Dickinson County Hospital is a 49-bed, general medical and surgical hospital in Iron Mountain. It has over 70 physicians and more than 700 employees, providing a broad range of acute care, including inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, and specialty services. It also has primary care clinics in Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Norway and Bark River as well as Florence, Wis.