CASPER FOUNDATION & RUTLEDGE CHARITIES AWARD GRANTS

December 9, 2025 – The Edward & Hannah M. Rutledge Charities (Rutledge Charities) and William J. & Gertrude R. Casper Foundation (Casper Foundation) have awarded combined support of $750,000 to the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative to support re-opening the former St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls as a full-service hospital now named Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital.

The Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital opened its Cancer Center in November 2025 and will be adding additional critically needed healthcare services early next year. The hospital expects to reopen as a full-service hospital (emergency, intensive care unit, labor & delivery, surgical, and medical hospital bed services, among others) by summer 2026.

“Rutledge Charities and the Casper Foundation want to help take care of the needs of our present population and allow Chippewa County residents access to affordable local health care. My many years in Chippewa Falls have shown me how a local hospital can improve a community through more than medical needs and allow a community to grow,” said Jerry Jacobson, Trustee for Rutledge Charities and Casper Foundation.

“We are so grateful for this generous commitment from Rutledge Charities and the Casper Foundation,” said Andrea Blaeser, Development Director for the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative. “Their gift will have a positive and long-lasting impact on our community for generations to come.”

About the Cooperative
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is a community-owned healthcare organization accountable to the people of Chippewa Valley and dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality medical services to residents of the Chippewa Valley region. Any resident in the 18-county Chippewa Valley region who is at least 18 years old can join the Cooperative.
The Cooperative bought the former St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls to operate while they build a modern hospital strategically located in Lake Hallie. The Cooperative is a Wisconsin Chapter 193 cooperative and a registered 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization. More information at www.chippewavalleyhealthcooperative.org.