EAU CLAIRE — To address the medical needs in the area, seven community leaders will meet to develop a health cooperative.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative’s goal is to help the community receive affordable healthcare, said Mike Sanders, the managing partner of 1100 Partners and the cooperative’s lead advisor.
“The Cooperative is considering all different types of services, programs, and facility options to fill the gaps that will be left by HSHS exiting Western Wisconsin,” said Sanders.
The closure of two Hospital Sisters Health System hospitals and Prevea Health locations in the Chippewa Valley was announced on January 22. Since the announcement, the concerns for healthcare in the area have grown.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative was formed on February 29. On March 5, a press release announced seven leaders in the Chippewa Valley became the cooperative’s “formational board of organizers”.
The seven leaders include Patricia “Patti” Darley, Lori Geissler, Peter Hoeft, Mickey Judkins, Robert “Bob” Krause, Thomas Larson, and Eric Rygg.
According to the press release, the seven will create the rules, structure, and plans of the cooperative. Sanders believes within six months, the leaders will have established an official board of directors.
“The Chippewa Valley needs and deserves access to affordable independent healthcare services, programs and facilities that are governed here for the community,” said Krause while speaking on behalf of the leaders in the press release.
The cooperative could potentially create an independent community hospital and many other different services, said Sanders.
“We feel strongly that independent community health care facilities, services and programs that are governed here by people in our community who make decisions for our community... should be a vital part of the future of healthcare in Western Wisconsin,” said OakLeaf Medical Network Chair Kyle Dettbarn.
After the network realized the people in the area would need an independent community organization, Sanders and 1100 Partners were hired to find the next steps, said Dettbarn.
Sanders said in the press release they found that the the best option to create “independent healthcare services and facilities” was via a legal cooperative.
The cooperative will have many opportunities, including allowing the community to get involved and having local leaders on the board, said Sanders.
According to the press release, legal and counseling services for the cooperative are being covered by OLMN until the new organization can start to pay it. The cooperative is currently establishing a system to accept donations.
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