WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – The Aspirus Riverview Hospital Board of Directors announced today that it has signed a letter of intent to affiliate with Aspirus, Inc., a not-for-profit health care system based in Wausau, Wisconsin.
This alliance would achieve two significant benefits to the community: create an even more robust Riverview hospital and endow a new foundation with more than $100 million invested to serve the health and the general needs of the Wisconsin Rapids community for years to come.
The Aspirus Riverview Hospital Board of Directors believes this affiliation will provide Riverview with an excellent opportunity to enhance local access to specialty care, and to collaborate with a strong regional provider to further the hospital’s mission.
“We have a long, proud history of serving the community’s health care needs with excellence and compassion,” Celse Berard, President of the Aspirus Riverview Hospital, said. “By aligning with Aspirus, we will be able to continue providing that service for many years to come.”
Aspirus has been developing plans to expand services in the Wisconsin Rapids area, and Matthew Heywood, President and CEO of Aspirus, believes the letter of intent by Riverview represents an exciting new possibility for improving the health of the local community.
“The health care industry is changing, and we want to be at the leading edge of that evolution,” Heywood said. “In order to provide the best care to this community, we have to expand our ability to provide coordinated, effective and efficient care to people in the Wisconsin Rapids area. It’s wonderful to have a strong local affiliate in that pursuit.”
All Aspirus affiliated hospitals are active in their respective communities and are guided by separate boards of directors with strong local representation. Collaboratively, they are able to access new resources, share best practices and realize business efficiencies. That collaboration is vital to constantly improve quality and efficiency, and to thrive in an industry that presents challenging workforce and regulatory issues.
This affiliation will represent a higher degree of partnership, but it would by no means be the first example of collaboration between Riverview and Aspirus. Through the years, the providers have worked together to serve the Wisconsin Rapids area by:
- Developing, programming and funding the UW Cancer Center Riverview.
- Developing and sustaining the hospitalist program at Riverview Hospital.
- Participating in the Aspirus Network for health plan insurance contracts.
- Participating in the Wisconsin Valley Health Network for group purchasing.
“Everything we do comes down to one thing: improving our ability to better serve our community,” Berard said. “This affiliation will help us make great strides in that pursuit.”
The Board will request approval for the affiliation by the members of the Aspirus Riverview Hospital at its annual meeting in December.
About Aspirus Riverview Hospital
Aspirus Riverview Hospital was organized by community leaders in 1912 to operate a local hospital and otherwise fill the health care needs of Wisconsin Rapids, South Wood County and the surrounding areas. Aspirus Riverview Hospital employs 650 people and includes a hospital, the UW Cancer Center-Riverview, three physician clinics, and a community dental center.
About Aspirus, Inc.
Aspirus is a non-profit, community-directed health system based in Wausau, Wisconsin. With more than 6,500 employees, Aspirus serves communities throughout 14 counties in northern and central Wisconsin, as well as the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated system includes four hospitals in Michigan and three hospitals in Wisconsin, 50 clinics, home health and hospice care, pharmacies, critical care and helicopter transport, medical goods, nursing homes and high-quality affiliated physicians.