Chippewa Valley Times

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has selected River Valley Architects (RVA) for the design of a new hospital in Lake Hallie, Wisconsin. The decision follows a competitive review process, with RVA scoring highest among several qualified candidates based on criteria such as design, experience, and cost efficiency. Thomas Larson, a board member who co-led the review process, said, "The review process was extremely competitive... RVA won on an objective point-scoring process which included many different reviewers."

The new facility will be located between Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire along Highway 53. It is designed to be a 144,000-square-foot hospital featuring 48 beds, including a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), an Emergency Department, and various medical services. The hospital is expected to open in late 2027.

In addition to planning the new hospital, the Cooperative is evaluating the financial feasibility of reopening St. Joseph’s campus in Chippewa Falls as an interim facility. Robert Krause, Chair of the Cooperative, mentioned that progress has been made in this assessment: "So far, what we’ve seen is encouraging." Mike Sanders added that they plan to transfer much of the equipment from St. Joseph’s to the new hospital if feasible.

Furthermore, discussions are underway with mental health providers to establish partnerships for offering behavioral health services locally. Krause emphasized the importance of these services: "Our community urgently needs robust behavioral health services here so that patients aren’t sent hours away during crises and for rehabilitation."

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative aims to provide accessible healthcare across 18 counties in Wisconsin's Chippewa Valley region.

Information from this article can be found here.