Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative Names Executive Team For Hospital

Nov 12, 2025

Mike Sanders Appointed CEO, Carrie Blum named COO, and Steve Little to Serve as CFO as Cooperative opens Chippewa Falls Interim Hospital and Plans to Build New Facility in Lake Hallie

CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI – November 12, 2025 – The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative (CVHC) today announced that Mike Sanders, Carrie Blum, and Steve Little have been named to lead the Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, respectively.

The three senior healthcare leaders, who each have deep Wisconsin rural healthcare experience, will guide the Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital (CVCH) through the opening of its interim hospital in Chippewa Falls, and the development of its new, purpose-built hospital strategically located in Lake Hallie, scheduled to open in 2028.

“This leadership team has incredible experience and demonstrated commitment to the Chippewa Valley,” said Robert Krause, Chair of the CVHC Board of Directors. “They have been with us from the beginning and been instrumental in bringing our vision to life with an unprecedented timeline. Their continued willingness to serve is a vote of confidence in the Cooperative’s mission.

“We are deeply grateful for their leadership, expertise, and ability to make things happen as we restore full hospital care for the Chippewa Valley.”

Experienced Leadership for a Community-Built Hospital

 

Mike Sanders, Chief Executive Officer

Mike Sanders, CEO Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital

Mike Sanders, CEO Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital

Sanders has served as strategic advisor, planner and connector to the Cooperative since its formation in February 2024 and has been instrumental in developing the locally led governance structure, community ownership model, and hospital planning strategy.

An award-winning CEO with more than 30 years of hospital and healthcare leadership experience, Sanders previously served as president and CEO of Monroe Clinic in Monroe, Wisconsin, for over 18 years. He’s served on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, and Metastar, as well as previously chairing the federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s Rural Health Issues Group. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and won the 2019 ACHE-Wisconsin Regent’s Award.

Carrie Blum, COO Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital

Carrie Blum, COO Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital

Carrie Blum, Chief Operating Officer

Blum joined the hospital planning effort in January 2025, bringing more than 20 years’ experience leading healthcare teams to create exceptional experiences for patients, medical professional employees, and physicians. With a reputation for making things happen, Blum has held several healthcare leadership roles improving patient satisfaction, physician relations, employee engagement, and excellent facility management, operations and planning. An expert in Lean Healthcare Management and electronic health records (Epic) implementation and optimization, she is a member of several professional associations critical to hospital management.

 

Steve Little, Chief Financial Officer

Steve Little CFO CV Cooperative Hospital

Steve Little, CFO Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital

A veteran healthcare leader with experience in rural hospitals throughout Wisconsin, Little is recognized as a savvy financial officer with a keen eye for excellence and lean hospital management. After almost 16 years at SSMHealth in Fond du Lac, WI, including over six years as President, CEO, Little has served in a series of interim financial leadership positions in Wisconsin, including as President of Holy Family Memorial Hospital in Manitowoc, Senior Vice President at Froedtert Health in Sheboygan, Interim CFO at Bellin Gunderson Health System in La Crosse, and Interim VP and CFO at McLaren Medical Group in Flint, Michigan. He has been a strategic financial consultant to the Cooperative since January 2025 and a key architect of the financial model for the interim facility in Chippewa Falls and the new hospital in Lake Hallie.

Building For the Future 

The Cooperative reopened the former St. Joseph’s Hospital campus in Chippewa Falls as an interim facility on October 13, 2025, and has begun restoring critical healthcare services and hospital capacity that was lost after the 2024 HSHS exit from Western Wisconsin. The Cooperative’s Cancer Center is the first of several healthcare services that will be offered while the Cooperative brings full hospital services back online by June 2026. The full-service interim facility will provide emergency services, labor and delivery, ICU, medical-surgical services, hospital care, a full laboratory and diagnostic services, employing more than 300 medical professionals in Chippewa Falls.

More than 100 physicians have pledged to care for their patients at the Cooperative’s hospitals.

The Cooperative’s new Lake Hallie hospital, set to open in 2028, will feature 48 inpatient beds, a modern and flexible surgical unit, 24/7 emergency care, intensive care, obstetrics and labor and delivery, and comprehensive diagnostic and cardiac services.

“This is a team with deep experience working together to make excellent health care possible in the community,” added Krause. “They’ve led hospitals throughout Wisconsin, been deeply involved in the Chippewa Valley for the last 18 months and built strong partnerships here. They know what’s at stake and are deeply committed to bringing the Cooperative’s vision to life.”

About the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is a community-owned healthcare organization accountable to the people of 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 at least 18 years old can join the Cooperative here.

The Cooperative bought the former St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls to operate while they build a modern hospital strategically located in Lake Hallie. The Cooperative is a Wisconsin Chapter 193 cooperative and a registered 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization. More information at www.chippewavalleyhealthcooperative.org.

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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.