For Immediate Release:
Contact: Lou Ann Nettekoven
Advertising/Communications Manager
lnettekoven@baycare.net
920-609-4641 cell
920-405-5382 phone
920-405-8004 fax
BayCare Clinic Improves Local Access to Pediatric Heart Care
Through a Collaboration with Marshfield Clinic
Green Bay, WI, January 21, 2010– As part of its commitment to improve access to high quality specialty and sub-specialty care in Northeast Wisconsin, the region’s largest physician-owned specialty-care clinic, BayCare Clinic, announces a collaborative effort with Marshfield Clinic to develop pediatric heart care services in Green Bay.
Beginning January 21, pediatric cardiologists from Marshfield Clinic will see pediatric heart patients at BayCare Clinic Cardiology’s main office, located at Aurora BayCare Medical Center, 2845 Greenbrier Road, Green Bay. A pediatric cardiologist is specially trained in the detection and treatment of heart disease in children. The Marshfield Clinic physicians also are board certified and fellowship trained.
In a time when there is a national shortage of specialty care providers, the relationship with Marshfield Clinic shows progress can be made to meet local health care needs by partnering with other specialty care resources.
“BayCare Clinic is responding to community and regional healthcare needs. That includes bringing in high quality specialty providers, like those from Marshfield Clinic, to serve those needs,” says cardiologist Francis G. Wolf, MD, who is also president of BayCare Clinic. “Certainly we want to partner with provider groups that offer state-of-the-art, high quality specialty care, which is the foundation of BayCare Clinic. We are confident that Marshfield Clinic will complement the level of care our patients have come to know.”
“Adding pediatric cardiology to our existing cardiology practice offers parents the convenience and practicality of having their child’s heart care provided locally, while under the care of Marshfield Clinic’s experienced pediatric cardiologists.”
According to the American Heart Association, thousands of infants born each year have congenital heart defects. Treatment for heart defects depends on type and severity of the defect and a child's age, size and general health; and can include medicines, surgery and other medical procedures. Children also can develop acquired heart disease at any age, the most common including hypertension, abnormal heart rhythms, heart damage due to infections or viruses and endocarditis (inflammation of the heart lining).
Many childhood heart conditions can be readily treated if diagnosed early. Pediatric cardiologists often continue providing heart care to children from birth through young adulthood.
Marshfield Clinic’s pediatric cardiologists are Wisconsin leaders in diagnosing and treating childhood heart conditions. With state-of-the-art expertise, they evaluate and treat the spectrum of congenital and acquired cardiac diseases, providing specialized heart care tailored to their young patients’ needs. Pediatric cardiologists Dr. Julie Dietz, Dr. Peter Dyke and Dr. Kathleen Finta from Marshfield Clinic will offer these services in Green Bay.
“Heart disease is a serious matter, and heart disease in babies and children requires specialized medical attention,” says Juan Mesa, MD, Heart Care Service Line Director, Marshfield Clinic. “The goal of our pediatric cardiologists is to help our patients get the care they need to live long, happy lives. And if we can offer the added convenience of providing that care in our patient’s own back yard, it just makes it all the better.”
“Bringing pediatric services to Green Bay with a highly regarded entity like Marshfield Clinic certainly begs the question whether there are other areas of care in which we can collaborate,” Wolf says. “The answer will become clearer as we continue to look at how BayCare Clinic can improve patient access to needed specialty care. One possibility is to serve adults with congenital heart disease who sometimes fall between the cracks.”
BayCare Clinic (www.baycare.net) is the largest physician-owned specialty-care clinic in Northeast Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is comprised of over 100 specialty physicians with expertise in more than 20 specialties. BayCare Clinic physicians have served patients in Green Bay and the surrounding region for over 25 years.
The Marshfield Clinic system (www.marshfieldclinic.org) provides patient care, research and education with 48 locations in northern, central and western Wisconsin, making it one of the largest comprehensive medical systems in the United States.
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