Under sunny skies Sept. 3, Community Memorial Hospital marked its transition from small, rural hospital to a health ministry, altering a health care tradition nearing its century mark.
The Oconto Falls-based health care provider affiliated with Hospital Sisters Health System to become St. Clare Memorial Hospital.
An outdoor blessing, unveiling and dedication ceremony was held before an audience of more than 100 people.
Christy Kaemper, CMH board chair, said the affiliation with a larger organization will assure the survival of the Oconto Falls hospital and its six community clinics.
“HSHS didn’t approach us, we approached them. We hand-picked who we felt would be a good partner for the future, and lucky for us, they agreed,” she said.
“The bottom line is we assure that this organization continues to be here for this and other communities,” said Dan DeGroot, former president and CEO of CMH and now chief operating officer of HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital.
He compared Wednesday’s ceremony to a family reunion, when everyone gathers around to see the newest member of the family. For HSHS, it’s been 27 years since it added a hospital to its family.
Therese Pandl, president and CEO of the Eastern Wisconsin Division of HSHS, called the affiliation a “natural fit,” saying the mission of CMH, “To provide excellent care close to home,” is consistent with that of HSHS.
The affiliation with HSHS also affects the six regional health centers, formerly referred to as CMH Primary Care Clinics. They will be called HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Health Centers.
The new name and logo were hidden behind a blue tarp until Pandl and DeGroot pulled the ropes to reveal them at the dedication ceremony. St. Clare is an Italian saint who was a close follower of St. Francis of Assisi, who is known for his care for the poor and the sick. Clare founded a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition, which is recognized today as the Poor Clares.
The HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital logo shows the image of a Tau cross, attributed to St. Francis, who stretched out his arms, and his tunic made the shape of the Tau cross. According to an HSHS pamphlet, Tau is a letter of the Greek alphabet and a sign of life and salvation. Catholic ideology will be at the root of health care provided.
“As a patient, one of the things you’ll notice is that Hospital Sisters Health System is dedicated not to just treating the disease, but healing the entire person physically, spiritually, mentally, and we’ll be developing that type of culture,” DeGroot said.
According to DeGroot, a chapel will be built at the gift shop’s location, and the gift shop will move down the hall, once financial resources are available. A full-time chaplain will be added to the staff, he said.
The Rev. Joel Sember, pastor of three Catholic churches in Oconto County, said the HSHS affiliation is a blessing for the community.
“It’s a real sign of confidence in our community, that our community has a lot to offer,” he said.
With a faith-based approach, health care providers are challenged to make life more fulfilling for their patients, not simply work to prolong their lives, he said.
CMH began its affiliation with HSHS and its partner, Prevea, in May 2011. The result was more specialty care services, enhanced recruiting of care providers, greater advocacy for critical care hospitals, an electronic medical record system and collaboration between administrators.
The affiliation allowed CMH to accomplish things that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise, DeGroot said. The construction of the medical office building on the southeast side of the campus hints at the possibilities to come. It is scheduled to open in November.
At a lunchtime meeting that preceded the late-afternoon formal ceremony, CMH employees celebrated new beginnings, but also recalled the time and gifts provided by staff, their families and the community.
“We really focused on celebrating our history,” DeGroot said.
The hospital opened 93 years ago, in 1924, in a building at 125 S. Main St.
“From that humble beginning to this campus you see here today, going from 150 to almost 180,000 square feet I think is a reflection of the true support and commitment this community has had for this institution,” DeGroot said at the dedication ceremony.
The transition to St. Clare was spearheaded by a CMH committee consisting of Howard Eslein, Dan Boettcher, Jan Stranz and Jim VanDornick, retired CEO of CMH.
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