HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital marks 10-year milestone of joining of Hospital Sisters Health System, announcement of new name
August 23, 2024
OCONTO FALLS, Wis. – On Sept. 1, 2024, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls marks an important milestone: The tenth anniversary of the hospital (formerly known as Community Memorial Hospital) officially joining Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) to become HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital.
The hospital has been a part of the Oconto Falls community for more than 100 years. It first opened its doors in 1921 as Oconto Falls City Hospital at 125 S. Main Street. Then, in 1954, it was moved to the former City Hall and named Community Memorial Hospital (CMH). The hospital moved to its current location at 855 S. Main Street in 1972.
In 2011, CMH entered into an affiliation agreement with HSHS, a Catholic health care ministry based in Springfield, Ill. and with hospitals in nearby Green Bay (HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center) and Sheboygan (HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital), to enhance physician recruitment, implement an electronic health record system and improve the delivery of care.
Three years later, on Sept. 1, 2014, Community Memorial Hospital joined Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) to become HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. The name was chosen in honor of St. Clare, the Franciscan saint who devoted her life to solitude, prayer and service. Her legacy reflecting the commitment of the hospital to serving Oconto Falls and its surrounding communities for years to come.
Colleen Koski, Chief Administrative Officer at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, and who has served in various leadership and nursing roles at the hospital since 2008, recently reflected on the hospital’s decision to join HSHS.
“Joining Hospital Sisters Health System provided our rural hospital greater access to the resources needed to enhance our quality of care and allowed us to grow and expand our health care offerings significantly,” said Koski. “The thought a decade ago was, ‘we are stronger together,’ and time has proven that we truly are.”
Today, telemedicine capabilities, added within the last decade as part of the hospital’s inclusion into the system, allow providers and colleagues at HSHS St. Clare to connect with HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, with just the touch of a button. HSHS St. Clare also has access to the system’s largest physician partner, Prevea Health, which over the years has deployed physicians and providers directly into the community to provide an array of care options – from primary care to orthopedics, podiatry, digestive health, urology, vascular care and more.
Today, Prevea providers care for patients at the HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Health centers in Oconto Falls, Gillett, Suring, Lena and Mountain, and perform surgery at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital – keeping care close to home as possible.
Over the last ten years, HSHS St. Clare has also established and expanded key services such as cancer, wound and dialysis care. It also introduced the Almost Home swing bed program, which allows local residents who may have had surgery or been treated at a larger hospital further away, to rehabilitate closer to home at HSHS St. Clare. The hospital’s on-site pharmacy in Oconto Falls, additional pharmacy in Gillett and prescription services offerings in Lena, Mountain and Pulaski also ensure patients have access to their prescription medication needs close to home.
“As a certified critical access rural hospital, one of the most important services we provide to this region is our 24/7 emergency care,” said Dr. Al Salmi, Medical Director of the HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. “In an emergency, seconds count. Having a strong presence, like St. Clare does, in a region where access to emergency care is limited can mean the difference between life and death to someone. We are tremendously grateful for the rapport we’ve built with local emergency services agencies in the last ten years. They are our true partners in caring for those who live, work, visit and travel within our northern communities.”
In 2022, HSHS St. Clare was recognized as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. by The Chartis Center for Rural Health which is part of the nation’s largest independent health care advisory firm, The Chartis Group. In 2023, the firm also awarded HSHS St. Clare with a Performance Leadership Award for its work in the areas of health care quality, outcomes and patient experience. That same year, the hospital was the recipient of Press Ganey’s Human Experience Guardian of Excellence award, recognizing the hospital’s efforts in physician alignment and experience.
“We provide care to patients from all over Oconto County and beyond,” said Paula Bake, Nursing Manager of the Emergency and Medical Surgical departments at HSHS St. Clare. “Having a hospital here means so much to them, especially since many come to Oconto County to retire and do not want to travel far. We often get to know our patients on a personal level. They like seeing a familiar face, especially during a stressful time. I love coming to work here because the colleagues in all departments work together as one united family. We are here for our amazing patients and are thankful they put their trust in us. Together, we are proud to provide safe and amazing care each and every day.”
HSHS St. Clare’s care of the community expands beyond its hospital and clinic walls. In recent years, the hospital supported the addition of a walking trail system and community garden in Oconto Falls, and each year hosts a drug take-back event to safely dispose of unused and expired medications in the community.
“The engagement and commitment to the HSHS Mission and the community at HSHS St. Clare is palpable,” said Deanne Ziemer, Nursing Manager of Surgical and Outpatient Services at HSHS St. Clare, and 20-year employee of the hospital. “I am so thankful for our presence in the community and our ability to provide care here.”
“To say we are proud of our work here at HSHS St. Clare in the last ten years would be an understatement,” said Koski. “It is an honor to care for this community. We look forward to future growth and expansion of our services so that we can continue to provide the care our patients need and want as close to home as possible.”
To learn more about the history of HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, please visit: www.hshs.org/st-clare/about-us
The hospital has been a part of the Oconto Falls community for more than 100 years. It first opened its doors in 1921 as Oconto Falls City Hospital at 125 S. Main Street. Then, in 1954, it was moved to the former City Hall and named Community Memorial Hospital (CMH). The hospital moved to its current location at 855 S. Main Street in 1972.
In 2011, CMH entered into an affiliation agreement with HSHS, a Catholic health care ministry based in Springfield, Ill. and with hospitals in nearby Green Bay (HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center) and Sheboygan (HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital), to enhance physician recruitment, implement an electronic health record system and improve the delivery of care.
Three years later, on Sept. 1, 2014, Community Memorial Hospital joined Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) to become HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. The name was chosen in honor of St. Clare, the Franciscan saint who devoted her life to solitude, prayer and service. Her legacy reflecting the commitment of the hospital to serving Oconto Falls and its surrounding communities for years to come.
Colleen Koski, Chief Administrative Officer at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, and who has served in various leadership and nursing roles at the hospital since 2008, recently reflected on the hospital’s decision to join HSHS.
“Joining Hospital Sisters Health System provided our rural hospital greater access to the resources needed to enhance our quality of care and allowed us to grow and expand our health care offerings significantly,” said Koski. “The thought a decade ago was, ‘we are stronger together,’ and time has proven that we truly are.”
Today, telemedicine capabilities, added within the last decade as part of the hospital’s inclusion into the system, allow providers and colleagues at HSHS St. Clare to connect with HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, with just the touch of a button. HSHS St. Clare also has access to the system’s largest physician partner, Prevea Health, which over the years has deployed physicians and providers directly into the community to provide an array of care options – from primary care to orthopedics, podiatry, digestive health, urology, vascular care and more.
Today, Prevea providers care for patients at the HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Health centers in Oconto Falls, Gillett, Suring, Lena and Mountain, and perform surgery at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital – keeping care close to home as possible.
Over the last ten years, HSHS St. Clare has also established and expanded key services such as cancer, wound and dialysis care. It also introduced the Almost Home swing bed program, which allows local residents who may have had surgery or been treated at a larger hospital further away, to rehabilitate closer to home at HSHS St. Clare. The hospital’s on-site pharmacy in Oconto Falls, additional pharmacy in Gillett and prescription services offerings in Lena, Mountain and Pulaski also ensure patients have access to their prescription medication needs close to home.
“As a certified critical access rural hospital, one of the most important services we provide to this region is our 24/7 emergency care,” said Dr. Al Salmi, Medical Director of the HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. “In an emergency, seconds count. Having a strong presence, like St. Clare does, in a region where access to emergency care is limited can mean the difference between life and death to someone. We are tremendously grateful for the rapport we’ve built with local emergency services agencies in the last ten years. They are our true partners in caring for those who live, work, visit and travel within our northern communities.”
In 2022, HSHS St. Clare was recognized as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. by The Chartis Center for Rural Health which is part of the nation’s largest independent health care advisory firm, The Chartis Group. In 2023, the firm also awarded HSHS St. Clare with a Performance Leadership Award for its work in the areas of health care quality, outcomes and patient experience. That same year, the hospital was the recipient of Press Ganey’s Human Experience Guardian of Excellence award, recognizing the hospital’s efforts in physician alignment and experience.
“We provide care to patients from all over Oconto County and beyond,” said Paula Bake, Nursing Manager of the Emergency and Medical Surgical departments at HSHS St. Clare. “Having a hospital here means so much to them, especially since many come to Oconto County to retire and do not want to travel far. We often get to know our patients on a personal level. They like seeing a familiar face, especially during a stressful time. I love coming to work here because the colleagues in all departments work together as one united family. We are here for our amazing patients and are thankful they put their trust in us. Together, we are proud to provide safe and amazing care each and every day.”
HSHS St. Clare’s care of the community expands beyond its hospital and clinic walls. In recent years, the hospital supported the addition of a walking trail system and community garden in Oconto Falls, and each year hosts a drug take-back event to safely dispose of unused and expired medications in the community.
“The engagement and commitment to the HSHS Mission and the community at HSHS St. Clare is palpable,” said Deanne Ziemer, Nursing Manager of Surgical and Outpatient Services at HSHS St. Clare, and 20-year employee of the hospital. “I am so thankful for our presence in the community and our ability to provide care here.”
“To say we are proud of our work here at HSHS St. Clare in the last ten years would be an understatement,” said Koski. “It is an honor to care for this community. We look forward to future growth and expansion of our services so that we can continue to provide the care our patients need and want as close to home as possible.”
To learn more about the history of HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, please visit: www.hshs.org/st-clare/about-us
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About Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)
Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) is a Catholic health care ministry founded in 1875. Dedicated to our Mission to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through high-quality Franciscan health care, HSHS clinicians provide exceptional care centered on the whole person. Based in Springfield, Illinois, HSHS employs more than 11,000 colleagues who provide care in 13 acute-care, children’s and critical-access hospitals and home health and hospice programs in Central and Southern Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin. HSHS is aligned with more than 1,000 primary and specialty physicians and advanced practitioners through its owned affiliates HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular and its partnership with Prevea Health. For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.
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