Marshfield Medical Center has opened a dedicated space for the veterans who come through its doors. The new veterans lounge sits near the hospital lobby at 611 N. St. Joseph Ave. in Marshfield, close to the coffee shop, and is meant for current and past members of the armed forces and their families.
Inside, visitors will find chairs and couches, a television, reading material and artwork. The hospital describes the room as a quiet place to pause, or a place to meet and talk with other service members.
Marshfield Clinic President and CEO Dr. Brian Hoerneman said the lounge reflects gratitude for what veterans have given, and called its opening another move toward making sure they get care, respect and support. The health system says its work with veterans also includes signing the Veteran Interoperability Pledge, which ties its care in with the Department of Veterans Affairs and helps staff spot veteran status and connect patients with benefits under laws such as the PACT Act and the COMPACT Act.
Other parts of that work include the VetCoor program, whose coordinators help veteran patients with discharge planning and social needs, and hiring practices that give veteran applicants an automatic screening interview. The system says hundreds of veterans work on its teams, with extra pay during deployments and scholarship support, and its military and veteran employee group counts more than 100 members.
The lounge opening comes while the hospital hosts a traveling banner exhibit from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum called "Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name," on display through Nov. 30. The exhibit carries a photograph for each of the 1,161 Wisconsinites listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., along with added photos for names on The Highground Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Neillsville.
