Construction began last month on a new $6 million OakLeaf Clinics location on the north side of Chippewa Falls, near Lake Wissota. The clinic, which is slated to open next September, will be approximately 30,000 square feet and will allow OakLeaf to expand its primary care and specialty services in Chippewa Falls, said Dr. Anton Kidess, OakLeaf’s vice president. The clinic will be at the corner of County Highway I and Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard, near HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital. (OakLeaf currently has a smaller clinic nearby.) The location will have a total of about 25 staff members, including 12-16 OakLeaf Clinics doctors. Specialties provided at the clinic will include internal medicine, dermatology, cardiology, pulmonology, nephrology, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, and endocrinology. In addition, the new clinic will offer on-site lab services, pulmonary function testing, and imaging (including ultrasound, echocardiography, and X-rays). “OakLeaf Clinics has a long-standing relationship with HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital providing 24/7 inpatient care, and our expanded services will further complement the care available to the Chippewa community,” Kidess said. In addition to clinics in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, OakLeaf operates outreach locations in Amery, Baldwin, Black River Falls, Cumberland, Durand, Neillsville, Rice Lake, Shell Lake, and Stanley.