New Health Co-op to Evaluate St. Joseph's Facility, Moves Forward With New Hospital Plans
cooperative hopes to open state-of-the-art hospital in late 2027, is conducting due diligence on St. Joseph's facility
After securing a 20-acre site in Lake Hallie in December, the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative announced it is moving forward with Eau Claire-based River Valley Architects for the design process of what will be a 144,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art hospital.
According to a March 3 media release from the nonprofit cooperative – formed in February 2024 in response to Illinois-based Hospital Sisters Health System’s closure of Sacred Heart in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s in Chippewa Falls – the group is aiming for a late 2027 opening.
Located on the west side of Highway 53 between Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire (map shown at bottom of article), the site was chosen due to its “convenient access to emergency and inpatient services for patients from across the entire region, as well as flexibility for future growth,” the media release stated.
The hospital will include 48 hospital beds with a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), medical-surgical services and an emergency department, labor and delivery services, a variety of speech, occupational, and speech therapies, and more.
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SINCE WE STARTED THE COOPERATIVE, WE'VE BEEN SINGULARLY FOCUSED ON MAKING HIGH-QUALITY HEALTHCARE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE for chippewa valley residents as fast as possible.
ROBERT KRAUSE
CHIPPEWA VALLEY HEALTH COOPERATIVE CHAIRPERSON
While moving forward with the new hospital, the cooperative also recently announced its intention to reopen the St. Joseph’s facility if due diligence proved it a financially sound decision. The group will begin its onsite evaluation process this week, and has until early this April to make an official decision.
“Since we started the Cooperative, we’ve been singularly focused on making high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for Chippewa Valley residents as fast as possible,” Chair of the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative, Robert Krause, said. “The new facility we’ve planned in Lake Hallie is fundamental to the long-term sustainability of the hospital. At the same time, if we can, reopening the St. Joseph’s facility in 2025 will help us serve patients faster and doesn’t impede our plans or ability to open the new hospital.”
If the cooperative decides to reopen the St. Joseph’s facility, it would immediately offer healthcare services with 25 hospital beds, a five-bed ICU, emergency and medical-surgical services, comprehensive diagnostic services, labor and delivery services, and more. The cooperative would also add cancer treatment services to the site, and reopen the morgue.
"There is no silver bullet to solve this situation sustainably for the long term. This important work takes considerable time and resources."
MIKE SANDERS
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF 1100 PARTNERS
The Cooperative has hired recognized experts in hospital administration and operations and is well supported by University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension specialists in trauma care, emergency medical services, and public facilities financing.
Mike Sanders, managing director of 1100 Partners and former CEO of Monroe Clinic, has been working closely with the cooperative since its formation early last year. “There is no silver bullet to solve this situation sustainably for the long term. This important work takes considerable time and resources. If the Cooperative can reopen the St. Joseph’s facility, it will be an important bridge strategy to help close the healthcare gap residents are experiencing now as the new hospital is being built,” Sanders said.
According to the media release, the nonprofit cooperative is also in discussions with a variety of behavioral health providers to explore the potential of providing such services for the Chippewa Valley region "as soon as possible."
Read the full March 3 media release online. Learn more about the cooperative’s memberships and its proposed plans at chippewavalleyhealthcooperative.org.
