The planned affiliation was announced in October and the Dickinson County Board quickly moved to approve it, allowing the process to reach completion in less than four months.

“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,” Marshfield Clinic CEO Dr. Susan Turney said as the agreement was finalized.

Marshfield has promised to deliver $26 million in capital investments over the next five years, including construction of a regional cancer care center.

“This offers increased capabilities in research and clinical trials, as well as access to other specialists,” said Joe Rizzo, director of public relations and business development at Marshfield Medical Clinic-Dickinson.

DR. SUSAN TURNEY, CEO of Marshfield Clinic Health System, speaks Oct. at Dickinson County Healthcare System in Iron Mountain. Marshfield Clinic plans construction of a regional cancer care center in Iron Mountain.

Expanding local outpatient surgeries is also a focus, as well as enhancing pediatric, primary and emergency care.

“Marshfield Children’s Hospital is an amazing resource for kids in our community,” Rizzo said.

Chuck Nelson, chief administrative officer at Dickinson, said the future of health care in the community is more secure now than ever.

The cancer center builds on Dickinson’s previous multi-million-dollar capital expenditures for a highly advanced linear accelerator, providing radiation treatment and nuclear medicine technology for cancer diagnostics and allowing patients to receive treatments closer to home.

The health care partners have identified the five most-needed services in the community and have begun implementing a strategic plan to license and credential the needed doctors. A fully integrated electronic health records system is being implemented through Cerner Corp.

“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,” Nelson said. “Our excellent local delivery of care across a wide range of services has been expanded and strengthened by our affiliation with Marshfield. We are excited to serve as a regional hub for quality health care.”

Facility operations at Iron Mountain are in the hands of Marshfield, with input and oversight from a local advisory board. The Wisconsin-based provider is taking responsibility for Dickinson’s pension funding and has committed to retaining core services and medical practices for at least 10 years.

Margaret Minerick, who chaired the former DCH Board, has a seat on the MCHS Hospitals Inc. Board. She also serves on the local advisory panel with former DCH Board members David Holmes, Alyssa Hartwig and Paul Bujold. A fifth member is Dr. Alexis Whaley, a local pediatrician.

Dickinson hospital attorney Michael Celello in December outlined some other parts of the agreement:

— For the first three years post-closing, any reduction in labor force must by approved by the local advisory board. DCH employees will transition to become Marshfield employees.

— The advisory board, for a period of 10 years, must approve any decision to discontinue or substantially diminish any core service lines or the closure of a medical practice. The board will also be responsible for monitoring the operational functions and financial performance of the hospital as well as the development of strategic business and other plans.

— Dickinson Hospital Foundation will be given $1 million over a five-year period while also serving as an “enforcer” of the affiliation agreement. A subcommittee of the foundation will be charged with making sure Marshfield meets its $26 million capital commitment and related promises.

— While DCH had operated as a Michigan municipal health facility corporation under Public Act 230, having its board meetings in public, the Marshfield agreement makes that governing law no longer applicable.

The hospital had faced financial trouble when a proposed sale to Bellin Health of Green Bay, Wis., fell through in May 2018. Its position, however, grew stronger due to better performance, an infusion of federal pandemic aid and a $16.9 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan secured in 2021.

“The community, business leaders, and local government stepped up and supported Dickinson when we needed help,” Rizzo said. “Thank you for our local support — changing from what it was, to what it is, a team sport,” he said. The focus of the institution, he added, is on the patient and doing the right thing.

The strength of the Marshfield brand combined with a solid foundation at Dickinson, increases the hospital’s exposure to the greater U.P. market, Rizzo added.

In May, the hospital was honored with an “A” grade in a report from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization that grades nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country.

“The excellent safety grade confirms our commitment to deliver exceptional care to the families in our community,” Nelson said.

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Group uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. These measures assess errors, accidents, injuries and infections, while judging the systems the hospitals keep in place to assure the safety of their patients.

Marshfield Medical Clinic-Dickinson is a 49-bed, general medical and surgical hospital. It has a team of more than 70 active providers and 700 employees. Residents can continue to support the hospital by utilizing local services, close to home, Rizzo said.

The original Dickinson County Memorial Hospital opened in 1951 on Woodward Avenue in Iron Mountain and moved to its current facility on U.S. 2 in 1996.

Marshfield Clinic was incorporated under Wisconsin law in 1916 and operates as a charitable corporation with all of its assets held in a trust. It is one of only a few large independent nonprofit medical clinics in the United States.

It has more than 1,400 providers, comprising 170 specialties, a health plan, and research and education programs. Operations include Marshfield Clinic, nine Marshfield Medical Center hospitals in Wisconsin, Marshfield Children’s Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Security Health Plan, and Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation.