Southwest Health Center will break ground in mid-October on a new 20,000 square foot, $7 million addition to its hospital campus in Platteville.

The addition will be home to two major initiatives, both of which are Southwest Wisconsin firsts — a new women’s health center and a new orthopedic and sports medicine program. The expansion will also provide space for SHC’s growing rehabilitation services department and an expanded specialty physicians’ clinic.

Obstetrics and gynecology specialist Kim Christopher Mackey, M.D., OB/GYN, will lead the new women’s health center. Mackey, who starts at SHC Monday, worked at UW Health in Madison for 11 years.

Orthopedic surgeon Joshua Lindsey, M.D., will lead the orthopedic and sports medicine programs. Lindsey is completing his second of two high-level fellowship programs — one in joint replacement at Harvard Medical School and the other in sports medicine at the University of Rochester in New York.

Southwest Health Center general surgeons Jason Klovning, M.D., and James Yurcek, M.D., will also see patients in the expanded clinic area.

The new construction also will provide space for expanded rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational and speech therapies as well as cardiac rehabilitation. The new sports medicine facilities will feature a new sports performance gym, designed to help local student and adult athletes realize their performance potential.

The project includes remodeling approximately 5,000 square feet of existing space on the second floor for administrative and health information offices, which are being moved from the lower level to make room for the sports medicine expansion.

“We are very excited about expanding our services and adding more high level specialists to our local medical staff,” says SHC Chief Executive Officer Dan Rohrbach. “It’s the vision of our Board of Directors to develop centers of excellence in women’s health, orthopedics and sports medicine, and surgical care. The Board understands how important it is for the people of southwest Wisconsin to have great health care available so close to home.”

Rohrbach projects completion of the building project in August. Mackey will begin seeing patients Monday in a suite of rooms adjacent to SHC’s Emergency Department.

Lindsay will begin his orthopedic and sports medicine practice in August after the new facilities are open. Yurcek and Klovning will maintain their general surgery offices and see patients within Dean Clinic–Platteville, also on the SHC campus.

“SHC is here to provide local residents the highest level care in a more appropriate, more convenient local setting,” said Rohrbach. “Most of the services people travel to Dubuque or Madison for can be provided locally at SHC without the hassle or costs of traveling to a large medical center.”

Mackey, Lindsey, Klovning, and Yurcek will be joining other physician specialists seeing patients at SHC, including specialists in allergy, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, neurosurgery, and pain management.

SHC will hold a groundbreaking at the hospital, 1400 East Side Road, in mid-October.