Cooperative plans to build independent community hospital

EAU CLAIRE — After recent hospital closures, an independent community hospital has been an option considered by the community. The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has announced it plans to make that option a reality.

Mike Sanders, the 1100 Partners managing partner and lead cooperative hospital and healthcare advisor, said they were excited to announce the plans for an independent community hospital.

The new hospital is planned to help cover the “gaps” in services left when the Hospital Sisters Health System closed the doors of two hospitals, HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s, said Sanders. It is planned to include emergency room, labor and delivery, cancer, and other important services.

“When the hospitals of St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart pulled out of our community; they were taking care of roughly 34% of the patients in the 15 county area,” said Robert Krause, the chair of the cooperative’s board of organizers. “We have no choice but to replace that supply because our communities in that 15 county area are going to become overwhelmed.”

The hospital will be a nonprofit organization and be run by a board chosen by the cooperative, according to a press release by the cooperative. It will also accept Medicare, Medicaid, and all other “government payors.”

“It’s a community hospital that is here for all,” said Sanders. “That’s the goal.”

An advantage the community hospital will have is already established physicians. According to the press release, 125 independent physicians from the OakLeaf Medical Network have agreed to be the hospital’s medical staff.

“We’re in the extraordinary position of already having the excellent physicians we will need to provide great care for our patients already in place,” said Sanders in the press release.

Sanders said any qualified physician in the area will be able to “apply for medical staff privileges” at the hospital.

The announcement that the cooperative planned to establish the hospital came after research they have done on what the community needed and how the hospital would be structured and created, according to the press release.

To set up the current plan the cooperative looked into what was offered at the previous hospitals and talked to physicians in the area about what they would want, said Sanders. The current plan is subject to change but it provides an idea of what the hospital could look like.

“Every discussion we’ve had with government officials, community leaders, people at the chamber, wherever, has been very positive…” said Sanders. “We’re very excited about the community support.”

Patti Darley, the cooperative’s vice-chair, said local governments have been helping them look for sites and speed up the process.

The current concept plan for the hospital has also been established by River Valley Architects, according to the press release.

The cooperative is still a long way from establishing a hospital. Sanders said the steps they have to take include fine-tuning their plans, establishing a plan to fundraise the hospital, and finding a location where the hospital will be built.

“We’re excited to be here today talking about the commitment to make this happen, which has come from the research of the gaps and services,” said Sanders. “We feel very confident that the need is there and that the community will support this.”