First of its kind: A health center, inside a hospital, next to an E.R. -- that's what Aurora is planning!



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- What you consider to be an emergency may not really be all that urgent, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need attention. That's the idea behind a new layout at Aurora Sinai Medical Center -- made possible by a multi-million dollar grant.

Aurora Health Care has announced it is making a $10 million donation for new healthcare initiatives. One of those involves partnering with Progressive Community Health Center to create a federally qualified health center inside Aurora Sinai -- right next to its emergency room.

When you rush into the emergency room, you would expect to see folks dealing with life or death emergencies -- but some show up to the emergency room with a cold, a sprain, or simply to see a doctor.

Medical professionals realize that's expensive and makes the emergency room a crowded place.

With the help of a federal grant that could be awarded in May, Aurora Healthcare is joining with Progressive Community Health Center to set up an urgent care and primary care clinic next to the emergency room.

"If someone comes in and needs emergency care, of course they'll go (to the emergency room). If they don't, and need care more appropriate to a regular doctor, they can come here and hopefully be able to see a regular docter and make an appointment on a more regular basis. So again, we think that's good for people and their health and better for the community because it's better from a cost perspective too," Michael Brophy with Aurora Healthcare said.

Aurora Healthcare plans to contribute $1.7 million to Progressive to set up health centers, including the clinic inside Aurora Sinai.

Brophy says he believes the set up will steer people towards better healthcare.

"We can help people get access to primary care doctors. They'll be able to see a doctor regularly and when you look at the statistics it's the key to keeping people healthier," Brophy said.

Aurora Sinai officials say this will be the first of its kind in Wisconsin.

Once the federal grant is announced in May, the clinic could be open by the end of summer 2015.

Aurora Healthcare is also contributing funds for sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and treatment programs as part of their $10 million initiative.