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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula Posted March 31, 2006 Text © 2006 Paula McCambridge for Keweenaw Now.

Marquette Medical restructures health care 

By Paula McCambridge

MARQUETTE, HANCOCK -- Local health care system leaders are declaring their commitment to keep all local services up and running as they face the impact of cuts by Marquette General Health System.

Plagued by budget problems and recent layoffs, Marquette General Health System is unloading two local health care services that will include its dialysis center located in Portage Health System and Mercy Ambulance Service, and plans are to make the changes within the next three months.

Jim Bogan, CEO of Portage Health System said that may be possible.

"That timeline is reasonable if identification of new ownership is rapid," Bogan said. "Transfer of assets from one non-profit health system to another isn’t very complicated."

Marquette General CEO Bill Nemacheck said that it is his intention to transfer ownership of these services rather than to close them and also to retain most jobs.

"Our plan is to continue to operate both services until we have an agreement with another party to take them over," Nemacheck said. "We can’t guarantee anything, but there are expert people involved. Most, if not all, jobs will be retained. It is not our intention to end services."

Nemacheck said that Marquette General has already been in contact with Portage Health System (PHS) in Hancock and Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center (KMMC) in Calumet to initiate talks concerning transfer of ownership.

KMMC Marketing Coordinator Carol Carr said KMMC is interested in Mercy Ambulance and that it will work either alone or with PHS to ensure continuing ambulance service.

"Keweenaw Memorial is, at this point, in negotiation with Marquette General," Carr said. "Mercy will be picked up by Keweenaw or Portage or both, depending on what’s in the best interests of the community. It is not going to disappear."

Mercy General Manager Jerry Primeau echoed Carr’s statement.

"We’re not closing the doors here," Primeau said. "We’re not going to leave the area without service."

Bogan said he is waiting for details from Marquette so that his people can evaluate proposals and investigate options. He added that the importance of keeping the dialysis center open is something he takes seriously.

"We recognize the importance of these services to the Copper Country," Bogan said. "We made a major commitment to open the dialysis center, which is in Portage Health System and run by Marquette General. The community supported that endeavor too, with a capital campaign that raised $850,000 for that center."

Marquette also plans to restructure its residential substance-abuse center, possibly transferring that service to an outside party.

"A residential substance abuse treatment center that is not located in a hospital is less costly and easier to run," Nemacheck said. "We have talked to other providers, but nothing has been decided yet."

Though several of Marquette’s behavioral health centers are slated for transfer of ownership, there will be no impact to its Hancock office, Nemacheck added.

"Our overall goal with all of these things is to pass them along to other providers and not to close them down," said Mary Tippett, director of community relations and marketing in Marquette. 

Editor's note: Guest writer Paula McCambridge is an experienced journalist who has reported for newspapers in Michigan and California. She is also a full-time student at Michigan Technological University, where she is studying communication and culture studies, psychology and art.