COOP is Moving Forward on Both Fronts to Take Care of Patients ASAP and Build for the Future Now
CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI – March 13, 2025 – In a big step forward towards opening an interim healthcare facility while it builds its new state-of-the-art hospital, the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative announced today that it has an executed purchase agreement with Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) for the St. Joseph’s Hospital building in Chippewa Falls. The Cooperative and HSHS initially signed the letter of intent in December 2024.
The Cooperative’s goal is to start taking care of patients as fast as possible, using the Chippewa Falls medical building as an interim healthcare facility to provide urgently needed services while the Cooperative builds the new sustainable, future-forward hospital.
The Cooperative has 90 days to conclude due diligence to determine if reopening the hospital is financially possible. If it’s feasible, the Cooperative could open its doors at the St. Joseph’s campus 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,” said Robert Krause, Chair of the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative. “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.”
Last week the Cooperative announced that local architect River Valley Associates (RVA) has been awarded the assignment of designing the new state-of-the-art hospital that will be built in Lake Hallie, Wisconsin, which is strategically located on Hwy 53 between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls.
“Since we started the Cooperative, we’ve been singularly focused on making locally governed high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for Chippewa Valley residents here as fast as possible,” added Krause.
Mike Sanders Managing Director of 1100 Partners and former CEO of Monroe Clinic, who has been working hand-in-hand with the Cooperative since it was formed, added, “While the cost to modernize and make the existing facility financially feasible for the next 50 years is prohibitive, we hope the 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.”
About the Cooperative
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is an independently governed, locally rooted nonprofit organization committed to making high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for the residents of the 18 counties in Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley region. Focused on patient-centered care, prevention, and education, the Cooperative strives to make a lasting, positive impact on the Chippewa Valley’s health and well-being for generations to come. Formed on February 29, 2024, the Cooperative is a Wisconsin Chapter 193 cooperative and a registered 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization. More information at www.chippewavalleyhealthcooperative.org.