IRON RIVER, Michigan - NORTHSTAR Health System (NHS) leaders today announced that it will join the Aspirus health system. Effective July 1, 2014, NHS will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aspirus, which is based in Wausau, Wis. Aspirus has offered to retain all current NHS staff members.
Based in Iron River, Mich., NHS includes a 25-bed critical access hospital; clinics in Iron River and Crystal Falls; and award winning home health and hospice services.
“The affiliation with Aspirus is an extremely important event for NORTHSTAR and the community,” said Mark Tousignant, Chairman of the NORTHSTAR Hospital Board. “It will help sustain the mission of NORTHSTAR Health System and also provide the support for meeting the future health care needs of the community.”
“Our goal has always been to continue providing high-quality health care to our community,” said Connie Koutouzos, President and Chief Executive Officer of NHS. “We are excited to be a part of a system that focuses on providing excellent, compassionate care and look forward to exploring new ways to expand and improve our services with the support of a thriving system.”
NHS is Aspirus’ fourth hospital partner in Upper Michigan. Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital, Ontonagon, Mich., joined Aspirus in November 2007; Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital, Laurium, Mich., joined in July 2008; and Aspirus Ironwood Hospital, Ironwood, Mich., joined in October 2010.
“We believe NORTHSTAR will be a tremendous addition to the Aspirus family,” said Matthew Heywood, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspirus, Inc. “This will increase our ability to serve communities in the western Upper Peninsula by collaborating and sharing resources with our other regional partners.”
Chuck Nelson, U.P. Regional Chief Executive Officer for Aspirus, looks forward to the addition. "We welcome the opportunity to work with the NORTHSTAR team to coordinate care across our region."
Joining an affiliated group of high-quality providers will allow NHS to access new resources, share best practices and realize business efficiencies. That collaboration will be vital in the system’s efforts to constantly improve quality and efficiency, and to thrive in an industry that presents challenging financial, workforce and regulatory issues.
About Aspirus Iron River Hospital and Clinics
Situated in the beautiful north woods, NORTHSTAR Health System is a non-profit organization serving the needs of the South Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Wisconsin. NORTHSTAR includes a 25-bed critical access hospital, outpatient primary and specialty care clinics in Iron River and Crystal Falls, home health and hospice services. The system employs more than 300 professionals from the community, and includes more than 80 credentialed physicians and mid-level providers across a wide range of health care specialties.
About Aspirus
Aspirus is a non-profit, community-directed health system based in Wausau, Wis. With more than 6,000 employees, Aspirus serves people in 14 Wisconsin counties and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan through a series of affiliated hospitals; home health and hospice care; critical care and helicopter transport service; skilled nursing homes; an affiliated physician network; and an extensive clinics network.