By HFT Staff

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 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. 

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 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.