Cooperative Greenlights New Full Service Hospital in Chippewa Valley’s Lake Hallie

Dec 4, 2024

CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI – December 4, 2024 – The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is building a full-service, independent, locally-governed, nonprofit hospital in Lake Hallie, with a goal to open in fall 2027. The decision came after exhaustive research to determine the optimal configuration, healthcare service offering, location, and long-term sustainability requirements for a new independent hospital in the Chippewa Valley.

The Cooperative’s new 144,000-square-foot state-of-the-art hospital will be a flexible facility including 48 hospital beds, with a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), an Emergency Department, Medical-Surgical services, Labor & Delivery, critical care units, a comprehensive Cancer Center, and comprehensive diagnostic services, including laboratory, radiology, and cardiology services. The new hospital will also have a comprehensive therapy unit to offer physical, occupational, and speech therapies. The projected cost for the new hospital is $120 million, with a total project cost of $158 million, including start-up costs, substantially less than initial estimates.

The Cooperative is also exploring ways to bring behavioral health services to the community.

“Our community and our research have made it abundantly clear that our growing region needs access to more local, effective, and affordable healthcare services in many critical areas,” said Robert Krause, Chair of the Board of Organizers for the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative. “The Cooperative’s new full-service hospital will provide a wide range of healthcare services here, not a long ambulance or helicopter ride away.”

The new independent hospital will employ over 410 full-time employees, not including medical staff. The medical staff will include qualified and accredited physicians from throughout the region. The OakLeaf Medical Network, the largest independent network of physicians and clinics in Western Wisconsin, has pledged to support the new hospital. OakLeaf Medical Network clinics care for over 55,000 local primary care patients.

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative, a 501c3 non-profit organization, was formed on February 29, 2024, just six weeks after HSHS announced it was exiting Western Wisconsin. With the goal of transforming the healthcare landscape in the Chippewa Valley and ensuring the local community is not solely dependent on hospital services owned by and accountable to organizations outside our region, the Cooperative has moved quickly to be able to help close the significant healthcare gaps the community is experiencing today.

“We have moved as fast as we could without cutting corners with due diligence to determine the size, location, and range of healthcare services we need to put in place to ensure that our community has access to exceptional, local, cost-effective healthcare for generations to come,” added Krause. “No longer will out-of-town hospital systems control the destiny of all hospital services for our community.”

The Cooperative conducted a wide range of research, is amply supported by University of Wisconsin Extension specialists in cooperative formation and governance, trauma care, emergency medical services, and public facilities financing, and contracted with Wipfli, a nationally recognized expert in healthcare, to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for the new hospital.

“We have turned over every leaf to get the best information and data possible to help us make our decision and ensure the long-term viability of a thriving, local, independent hospital,” added Krause.

Location

CVHC New Hospital Location

Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative Hospital Location

The Cooperative evaluated many different locations throughout Eau Claire and Chippewa Counties for the new hospital, ultimately choosing a 20-acre parcel in Lake Hallie along the Highway 53 North-South corridor with convenient access to Interstate 94 and East-West County Highways 29 and 12. The decision was based on extensive and detailed modeling of traffic flow, demographics, and projected growth patterns for the area. Importantly, this location is easily accessible for emergency services.

The Cooperative has entered into an agreement with Dave and John Markquart to purchase the land.

“This ideal location is optimally situated for easy access to the hospital for patients and emergency services from the entire region,” added Peter Hoeft, member of the Cooperative’s Board of Organizers.

Thomas Larson, member of the Board of Organizers, added, “The right location is a critical determining factor in the sustainability of the hospital. After evaluating over a dozen potential sites, we’re confident this parcel is the best possible location to build the new hospital for the Chippewa Valley community.”

Services

The Cooperative determined the full range of healthcare services to offer at the opening, as well as more services to add at the hospital over time, after evaluating area hospital bed and service capacity, healthcare trends, regional demographics, and Wisconsin growth projections.

“While the other Eau Claire area hospitals have done what they can to absorb the patients who were displaced by the HSHS hospital and clinic closures, it’s clear that they don’t have the capacity to fully address the critical healthcare gaps in the area,” said Mike Sanders, Managing Partner of 1100 Partners, and former CEO of Monroe Clinic, who has been working hand-in-hand with the Cooperative Board since it was formed.

Independent

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is a nonprofit organization and independent, accountable to, and governed by its members, who are residents from the 18-county greater Chippewa Valley region, as well as physicians and other medical professionals who are accredited and licensed to practice in Wisconsin. Independent hospitals are not owned by health systems or integrated delivery networks, both of which prioritize caring for patients in their own “ecosystems” of clinics and physicians.

There are over 1,500 independent hospitals in the United States.

Financial Support

To date, the Cooperative has received almost one million dollars in financial support to fund the startup phase for the organization. Most of this money has been donated by independent physicians and clinics throughout the community, as well as the board of organizers, Chippewa County, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, and Compeer Financial.

Going forward, the financing for the new hospital will be supported through community philanthropy, grants, and debt financing. Efforts are already underway to secure the necessary funding for the hospital.

About the Cooperative

The Chippewa Valley Heath 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.

 

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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.