CHIPPEWA VALLEY HEALTH COOPERATIVE NOW ACCEPTING COMMUNITY AND PHYSICAN MEMBERS

EAU CLAIRE, WI – June 19, 2024 – Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative (CVHC) is now accepting community and physician members.

The nonprofit Cooperative was formed on February 29, 2024, by seven prominent Chippewa Valley business and community leaders concerned about access to and the cost of healthcare across the region. The cooperative structure ensures that governance and management is in the Chippewa Valley and accountable to the people of the Chippewa Valley, not to management or business interests outside of the community.

Community members 18 years and older in the 15-county Chippewa Valley region and physicians licensed to practice medicine in Wisconsin can now join the Cooperative for a one-time fee of $25 and $100 respectively. Members should be people who plan to use the facilities and services of the Cooperative when they become available. CVHC recently announced that it is moving forward on building an independent, nonprofit community hospital in the region.

“Our members will be a powerful force for building the new non-profit independent hospital and providing other critical healthcare services for our Chippewa Valley region,” said Robert “Bob” Krause, Chair of the Board of Organizers for the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative. “Our friends, family and neighbors deserve to have a hospital and healthcare services accountable to them, not to management teams outside of our region, so that we can have access to high quality healthcare for generations to come.”

A cooperative, or co-op, is a business that is owned and democratically governed by its members, who also use its services designed to meet a common need. Wisconsin is a leading cooperative business state, with more than 850 cooperative businesses in many different business sectors that are owned by 2.9 million Wisconsin residents.

Members will vote to elect a formal Board of Directors by early Fall.

“The first members of a cooperative are instrumental to its existence and its ability to serve the community,” said Bill Oemichen, J.D., Professor of Practice-Law at the University Wisconsin – Madison's Division of Extension. “This is a unique opportunity for the people of Chippewa Valley to have a real say in where and how they receive the healthcare they need to thrive.”

Oemichen is a Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative advisor and an internationally recognized cooperative business expert who previously served as Director of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Bureau of Preparedness and Emergency Health Services where he administered the state's trauma hospital certification and emergency medical services programs.

About the Cooperative
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is an independently governed, locally rooted organization committed to making high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for the residents of the 15 counties in Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley region. Focused on patient-centered care, prevention, and education, the Cooperative strives to make a lasting, positive impact on the Chippewa Valley’s health and well-being for generations to come. Formed on February 29, 2024, the Cooperative is a Wisconsin Chapter 193 cooperative, which expects to receive 501c3 tax-exempt determination from the IRS. More information at www.chippewavalleyhealthcooperative.org.