Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital Opens Wound Care Center

Apr 21, 2026

Expands Access to Life-and-Limb-Saving Hyperbaric Therapy in the Chippewa Valley

CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI – April 21, 2026 – The Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital (CVCH) announced the opening of its new Wound Care Center in Chippewa Falls, restoring a critically needed service to the Chippewa Valley. The department is led by Emily Mason, MD, Medical Director for Wound Care.

The Wound Care Center is staffed by experts in wound care treatment and management. The new department offers a wide range of treatments and procedures and features two hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers, tripling the region’s hyperbaric treatment capacity at a time when patients are facing long wait times and limited access to care elsewhere.

“We strive to provide comprehensive, compassionate wound care to the Chippewa Valley,” said Dr. Mason. “We understand that wound healing is a complex process that requires consideration of each person’s unique medical conditions and treatment goals.”

The Hospital’s Wound Care Center treats a wide range of conditions, including:

  • Diabetic Foot Ulcers

    Wound Care Center Logo - Chippewa Valley Wound Care Center

    Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital Wound Care Center

  • Venous & Arterial Ulcers
  • Pressure Ulcers
  • Traumatic Wounds
  • Abscesses and Hematomas
  • Burns
  • Post-Surgical Wounds
  • Wound Infections
  • Hypergranulation

To treat this wide range of conditions, the Wound Care Center performs an equally wide range of procedures and treatments, including

  • Debridement
  • Incision and Drainage
  • Topical Anesthetic
  • Vascular Assessment
  • Wound Management
  • Biopsies and Cultures
  • Skin Substitute Application
  • Compression Wrap Therapy and Edema Management

The Wound Care Center’s Hyperbaric Chambers provide additional oxygen-based procedures for many conditions.

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Works

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)  is an advanced treatment modality utilized in wound care. HBOT places patients in a pressurized chamber, similar to the experience of a deep-sea dive, where they breathe 100% oxygen. This process dramatically increases the amount of oxygen delivered to damaged tissue, stimulating healing, fighting infection, and restoring blood flow to wounds and injured organs.

Dr. Mason added, “Providing increased access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy will be a tremendous benefit to our community.”

Hyperbaric therapy is used to treat a wide range of issues, including:

  • Some chronic and non-healing wounds, including those associated with diabetes
  • Burns
  • Crush injuries
  • Radiation-related tissue damage
  • Acute hearing loss
  • Certain infections
  • Acutely compromised skin grafts and flaps
  • Chronic refractory osteomyelitis

Addressing a Dangerous Gap in Care

When St. Joseph’s Hospital closed in March 2024, hyberbaric wound care services in the Chippewa Valley were significantly diminished, forcing many patients to endure extended delays or travel long distances for their daily treatment.

With two hyperbaric chambers now operational, the Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital can treat more patients sooner, reduce backlogs, and provide timely care that helps patients heal while avoiding preventable complications.

One More Step Toward Comprehensive Community Care

Mike Sanders, CEO of the Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital, emphasized that the opening of the Wound Care Center is part of the larger effort to restore access to comprehensive healthcare access in the Chippewa Valley.

“Every service we restore brings us one step closer to providing the full hospital care services our community needs,” said Sanders. “Reopening advanced wound care is not just about treating wounds, it’s about restoring dignity, preventing disability, and ensuring the Chippewa Valley has the healthcare foundation required for a healthy, thriving community.”

A Community-Owned Model for the Future

The Cooperative Hospital is a service of the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative, a nonprofit, community-owned healthcare organization governed by local members. The Cooperative’s model ensures that healthcare decisions remain local, resources are reinvested into patient care here, and long-term stability replaces corporate cost-cutting.

The Wound Care Center joins the Cooperative Hospital Cancer Center a

nd a growing list of specialty services at the Chippewa Falls hospital campus as the Cooperative works toward full hospital operations later this year.

For more information about the Cooperative Hospital’s Wound Care Center, or to request a referral, call 715-861-0990.

About the Cooperative

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is a community-owned healthcare organization accountable to the people of the Chippewa Valley and dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality medical services to residents of the Chippewa Valley region. Any resident in the 18-county Chippewa Valley region who is at least 18 years old can join the Cooperative here.

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Kamal Thapar

Kamal Thapar, MD, PhD., FRSC, FAANS, FCNS

is widely respected by patients, their families, and their doctors. Dr. Kamal Thapar has served the region for more than two decades. He maintains one of the largest private neurosurgical practices in Wisconsin and provides the full spectrum of advanced neurosurgical care. Dr. Thapar has held leadership roles at Marshfield Clinic, Sacred Heart Hospital, and Chippewa Valley Orthopedics. He specializes in minimally invasive and reconstructive spine surgery, brain tumor surgery, pituitary tumor surgery, and skull base surgery.
Erik Dickson

Eric Rygg

President of 4th generation Silver Spring Foods and Huntsinger Farms, lives in Eau Claire with his wife and three children. Among his volunteer community service, Eric has served as Host and Executive Committee member for the 2021 Wisconsin Farm Days, and currently serves on Eau Claire Confluence Arts/Pablo Center, and the Culinary Advisor Committee for Chippewa Valley Technical College. He earned his BA from Middlebury College, and an MBA, Food Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University – Erivan K. Haub School of Business.
Erik Dickson

David Nelson

Retired after 30 years as a health system finance administrator with five national and regional health systems and five years in public accounting focused on healthcare companies, Dave Nelson dedicated his career to not-for-profit organizations providing health services for local communities. Active in the community, he has served on numerous nonprofit and private boards of directors, including as the Past Chair and Emeritus Board member of the American Red Cross of NW Wisconsin. He is also Disaster Assistant Director for the Red Cross, responding in leadership roles to over 25 disasters.
Erik Dickson

Mickey Judkins

is the CEO of Details, Inc. and a recognized business and entrepreneurial consultant. She has served on many boards in the Chippewa Valley and Madison, including as President of the Eau Claire Economic Development Corporation, and as a director of the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce board. She also served on Business Forward’s Local Leadership Council in Washington, D.C., working to bring the small business perspective to the President’s policy making. She was active on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Advisory Board for Chancellors Mash and Levin-Stankevich. In 2007, Governor Jim Doyle appointed Mickey Executive Director and Administrator of the Investment and Export Division of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. She graduated magna cum laude from UW-Eau Claire with a BA in Sociology. She lives in Eau Claire with her husband Jeff Rochon.

Erik Dickson

Peter Hoeft

is CEO and Owner of Hoeft Builders Inc, a 40-year-old construction management firm he has led for the last 20 years. Raised in Eau Claire, Peter attended Regis High School, where he met his wife, Jill; they have twin boys. Peter has served on many community boards including Chippewa Valley Airport Commission (current), WNB Bank (current), Children's Museum of Eau Claire, Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce, and the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Committee. He holds a B.S. in Construction Management from Colorado State University.

Erik Dickson

Erik Dickson, MD

has provided medical care to the people of Chippewa County for more than 25 years, his entire career has been dedicated to this community. As a family medicine physician at OakLeaf Clinics in Chippewa Falls and medical director for our Urgent Care locations in Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, and Menomonie, I’ve worked on the front lines of local healthcare—helping families through everyday challenges and urgent needs alike. I also work as a first responder and EMS Medical Director in Chippewa County. In addition to my clinical practice, I serve as the medical director for several area nursing homes, where I work closely with our senior population to ensure continuity, compassion, and dignity in care. My affiliations with organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Association of EMS Physicians reflect my deep commitment to best practices and physician leadership. I am board-certified in Family Medicine with the American Board of Family Medicine.

Robert Krause

Kyle Dettbarn, MD

has called the Chippewa Valley home for more than two decades. Since moving here in 2003, he has served this community as a physician specializing in pulmonary, critical care, internal medicine, and sleep health. Today, he serves as Board President of the Oakleaf Medical Network—a network that has remained committed to patient-focused care for over 30 years.

Robert Krause

Patti Darley

Vice Chair
retired, from Xcel Energy’s Customer Service Department and before that Cray, Inc.’s Technical Training Department. Patti is a long-time resident of Chippewa Falls, and is well known for her volunteer service in the community. She has been an elected or appointed member of the board of directors of HSHS St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart Hospitals, the Community Foundation of Chippewa County, and Give Chippewa County, as well as in many other volunteer organizations. She has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University.