For the past four years, Chad Semling has coped with serious illness, including chronic infections, a weakened liver and a damaged heart. He became a regular visitor at his local hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he and his wife, Clare Semling, got to know the downsides of hospital care a little too well: The isolation. Poor sleep, interrupted by bells and alarms. The food.
In the spring of 2020, Chad was back at the Eau Claire Mayo Clinic emergency department for a flareup of cellulitis, a skin infection that can be serious. He was dreading yet another hospital stay. Instead, they said he was eligible for a new "hospital-at-home" pilot program that would outfit his house with equipment and send clinicians to make visits. "He was all for it, because he hates being in the hospital," says Clare.
