Chippewa County Seeking New Location for County Morgue

As the Chippewa Valley health care field adjusts to the loss of two hospitals, Chippewa County is looking for a new location for its morgue.

Prior to its closure in March, the county used St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls as the county morgue. According to a WEAU report, it’s been using the Stokes, Brock and Mundt Funeral Chapel in Altoona as a temporary morgue, but that location can only be used for up to one year.

A five-year capital improvement plan proposed by County Administrator Randy Scholz estimates that it will cost roughly $750,000 to refurbish a building to make it suitable to serve as the new morgue. Officials have not narrowed down a location as of yet, but one possibility is a storage facility on East Spruce Street in Chippewa Falls.

The relocation of the morgue is just another challenge posed by the loss of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. In addition to losing the emergency room capacity of two hospitals, putting a great deal of strain on the remaining emergency departments in the area, law enforcement authorities say losing St. Joseph’s Hospital has greatly affected their ability to do blood draws in their investigations.

While other medical organizations have expanded their offerings, particularly for delivery and urgent care services, and Chippewa Valley officials make plans for a new independent community hospital, issues like the loss of the county morgue and blood draw services continue to pose difficult short-term issues for in the region.