Shuttered since last year, St. Joseph's Hospital, pictured, could serve as the new Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative's interim facility as it continues developing a brand-new hospital in Lake Hallie. As of March 13, the cooperative is completing due diligence on the St. Joseph's facility.

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has announced an executed purchase agreement with Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) for the St. Joseph's Hospital in Chippewa Falls. 

As shared earlier this month, the nonprofit cooperative aiming to open a brand-new, 144,000-square-foot hospital in Lake Hallie around late 2027, is currently completing the due diligence process on the shuttered St. Joseph's facility. In an announcement shared on March 13, the cooperative said it could open its doors at St. Joseph's as early as winter 2025. 

"We are thankful that HSHS has worked collaboratively with the Cooperative while we ironed out the details of the contract," Chair of the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative, Robert Krause, said in the media release. "We've made good progress in our due diligence process during that time and are moving forward as quickly as possible with the rest of the required due diligence now that we have full access to the facility." 

Mike Sanders, managing director of 1100 Partners and former Monroe Clinic CEO, has been working closely with the cooperative since its formation in 2023. He added, "While the cost to modernize and make the St. Joseph's facility financially feasible for the next 50 years is prohibitive, we hope that we can open it and fill a critical need in the near and short term. We believe most expenditures required to open the Chippewa Falls facility will be transferrable to the new hospital and give us a leg up on operations."

Full media release:

Learn more about the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative at chippewavalleyhealthcooperative.org. On Jan. 22, 2024, Hospital Sisters Health System announced it would be permanently closing both its Chippewa Valley hospitals in less than six months. On Feb. 29, 2024, the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative was officially formed in response.