HSHS Foundation Donates Millions to Chippewa Valley

The HSHS Foundation has donated millions of dollars to Chippewa Valley organizations months after their abrupt hospital and clinic closures.

The organization closed Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls in March as well as a number of Prevea Clinics. The closures came with just a few weeks of notice for the region, leaving residents and local leaders scrambling to address the sudden healthcare shortage.

This week, a number of Chippewa Valley organizations have announced they received millions of dollars in donations from the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis Foundation. The foundation is the charitable arm of the organization.

The Eau Claire Community Foundation received over $9.3 million from the organization. According to a press release, the donation covers about $4.5 million in existing endowments and an additional $4.8 million from the Healing Place Endowment and the Healing Place Fund.

The Community Foundation of Chippewa County received about $4.6 million from the HSHS Foundation. According to their press release, the donations come from existing endowment funds created by donors to the HSHS foundation.

Chippewa Valley Technical College also received nearly $330,000 from the foundation. Officials say the grant funding will be used to continue developing a strong healthcare workforce.

The Chippewa Valley has faced an uphill battle when it comes to healthcare since the closure of the hospital system. Other providers have increased their services in the area to fill in some gaps and local leaders are planning a new independent community hospital in the area. Senator Tammy Baldwin also introduced the HSHS Act to add more protections against abrupt hospital closures for rural communities.

Still, replacing the services of two hospitals remains a difficult challenge. The state legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has also declined to release $15 million in approved emergency funding for emergency departments in the area following line item vetoes by Governor Tony Evers.