Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative Names Executive Team for Hospital

CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI – November 12, 2025 – The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative (CVHC) today announced that Mike Sanders, Carrie Blum, and Steve Little have been named to lead the Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, respectively.

The three senior healthcare leaders, who each have deep Wisconsin rural healthcare experience, will guide the Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital (CVCH) through the opening of its interim hospital in Chippewa Falls, and the development of its new, purpose-built hospital strategically located in Lake Hallie, scheduled to open in 2028.

“This leadership team has incredible experience and demonstrated commitment to the Chippewa Valley,” said Robert Krause, Chair of the CVHC Board of Directors. “They have been with us from the beginning and been instrumental in bringing our vision to life with an unprecedented timeline. Their continued willingness to serve is a vote of confidence in the Cooperative’s mission.

“We are deeply grateful for their leadership, expertise, and ability to make things happen as we restore full hospital care for the Chippewa Valley.”

Experienced Leadership for a Community-Built Hospital

Mike Sanders, Chief Executive Officer

Sanders has served as strategic advisor, planner and connector to the Cooperative since its formation in February 2024 and has been instrumental in developing the locally led governance structure, community ownership model, and hospital planning strategy.

An award-winning CEO with more than 30 years of hospital and healthcare leadership experience, Sanders previously served as president and CEO of Monroe Clinic in Monroe, Wisconsin, for over 18 years. He’s served on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, and Metastar, as well as previously chairing the federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s Rural Health Issues Group. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and won the 2019 ACHE-Wisconsin Regent’s Award.

Carrie Blum, Chief Operating Officer

Blum joined the hospital planning effort in January 2025, bringing more than 20 years’ experience leading healthcare teams to create exceptional experiences for patients, medical professional employees, and physicians. With a reputation for making things happen, Blum has held several healthcare leadership roles improving patient satisfaction, physician relations, employee engagement, and excellent facility management, operations and planning. An expert in Lean Healthcare Management and electronic health records (Epic) implementation and optimization, she is a member of several professional associations critical to hospital management.

Steve Little, Chief Financial Officer

Steve Little, CFO Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital

A veteran healthcare leader with experience in rural hospitals throughout Wisconsin, Little is recognized as a savvy financial officer with a keen eye for excellence and lean hospital management. After almost 16 years at SSMHealth in Fond du Lac, WI, including over six years as President, CEO, Little has served in a series of interim financial leadership positions in Wisconsin, including as President of Holy Family Memorial Hospital in Manitowoc, Senior Vice President at Froedtert Health in Sheboygan, Interim CFO at Bellin Gunderson Health System in La Crosse, and Interim VP and CFO at McLaren Medical Group in Flint, Michigan. He has been a strategic financial consultant to the Cooperative since January 2025 and a key architect of the financial model for the interim facility in Chippewa Falls and the new hospital in Lake Hallie.

Building For the Future 

The Cooperative reopened the former St. Joseph’s Hospital campus in Chippewa Falls as an interim facility on October 13, 2025, and has begun restoring critical healthcare services and hospital capacity that was lost after the 2024 HSHS exit from Western Wisconsin. The Cooperative’s Cancer Center is the first of several healthcare services that will be offered while the Cooperative brings full hospital services back online by June 2026. The full-service interim facility will provide emergency services, labor and delivery, ICU, medical-surgical services, hospital care, a full laboratory and diagnostic services, employing more than 300 medical professionals in Chippewa Falls.

More than 100 physicians have pledged to care for their patients at the Cooperative’s hospitals.

The Cooperative’s new Lake Hallie hospital, set to open in 2028, will feature 48 inpatient beds, a modern and flexible surgical unit, 24/7 emergency care, intensive care, obstetrics and labor and delivery, and comprehensive diagnostic and cardiac services.

“This is a team with deep experience working together to make excellent health care possible in the community,” added Krause. “They’ve led hospitals throughout Wisconsin, been deeply involved in the Chippewa Valley for the last 18 months and built strong partnerships here. They know what’s at stake and are deeply committed to bringing the Cooperative’s vision to life.”