Chippewa Falls City Council Approves Land Sale for New Hospital

The Chippewa Falls City Council approved the land purchase for Aspirus Health’s planned hospital, clearing the final hurdle for the project.

The sale of the land along Chippewa Crossing Boulevard near Highway 178 was approved with a unanimous 5-0 vote. The approval comes just days after the Chippewa Falls Planning Commission granted their approval for the conditional use permit needed to begin construction on the facility.

The approval also comes nearly one year after the abrupt closure of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital. In the wake of the HSHS and Prevea closures, Chippewa Falls residents in particular faced difficult hurdles for seeking healthcare. Aspirus Health announced their intention to build the hospital last fall to fill the gaps in care left behind by the closures, especially emergency and inpatient services.

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has also sought to fill those gaps. The organization recently announced plans for a new independent community hospital in Lake Hallie and is considering purchasing and reopening the St. Joseph’s Hospital property.

The planned Aspirus facility will feature a one story building at 54,181 square feet sitting on 22.1 acres of land. Aspirus Health intends to use more than half of that space for patient care with the rest covered by administrative space, support services, and their clinics program. That will include 12 hospital beds, 18 exam rooms, two procedure rooms, and a lab area. The organization also plans to hire 38 full time employees and 17 part time employees.

Aspirus Health officials say they plan to open the hospital in as little as 18 months following the start of construction.