Considered the new cornerstone of the city’s downtown and a starting point for its revitalization, Gundersen Elroy Clinic opened the doors to patients at its brand-new location on Jan. 15, a little less than a year after ground was broken on the lot at the intersection of Main and Franklin streets.
Gundersen Elroy staff and Gundersen officials were joined by state dignitaries, including Gov. Tony Evers, at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Jan. 16. It was a celebration of not only the new crown jewel of the city’s downtown district, but also Gundersen’s investment in rural healthcare.
“This is what we’re about: caring for people with empathy and meeting their unique needs as close to home as possible,” says Heather Schimmers, Gundersen Region president of Bellin and Gundersen Health System. “The efforts of so many people to make this project a reality is exactly why Elroy and this region are so special.”
The project was made possible in part by funding from the state Department of Administration through the healthcare infrastructure grant. That $4.1 million to Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital and Clinics and $2.1 million to the city of Elroy paved the way to devise one of Gundersen’s most cutting-edge facilities in its system.
“We are standing in an extraordinarily special building. I’ve been at Gundersen for 14 years and I’ve seen seven buildings constructed. Every one of them has been constructed with radical efficiency,” says Gundersen Envision director Alan Eber. “This one is my new favorite.”
According to Eber, this is Gundersen’s only building that is 100% on site net zero. That means all the energy it uses is produced in sustainable ways that are incorporated into the property’s design. That includes 16 geothermal wells that heat and cool the building, as well as solar panels on the roof that will produce more energy in a year than the building uses in that period.
It’s part of a wider effort at sustainability that, in total, saves the system $5.5 million a year in energy expenses and reduces harmful emission by more than 80.
What’s also special about this clinic is the community room what was included in its design. It’s available for outside groups in Elroy to use for meetings, socials and other gatherings, and it has a separate entrance from the clinic, making it accessible after business hours. The room was named in honor of John Weger, a long-time hospital and foundation board member at Gundersen St. Joseph’s.
It’s that added local touch that makes a new facility so exciting for Travis Wojtowicz, a family practice physician assistant at Gundersen Elroy Clinic and an Elroy native.
“The space represents the level of care that we provide within the walls, and I think that’s important for the community to see. It’s helpful with our overall mission of delivering care to our rural community,” he says. “It’s really great for Elroy to have this clinic downtown to provide a centerpiece for people to see and to begin to believe that we can improve our downtown once again.”
But for Gov. Evers, the new clinic is more than simply an attractive building. It represents a catalyst for what he hopes to see throughout the state of Wisconsin.
“This new facility will support the overall health of the community, attract new medical professionals to work in this state-of-the-art clinic, and provide the city of Elroy with the 21st century infrastructure to support a 21st century workforce,” he says. “As we celebrate this milestone event, we’re going to keep fighting to expand healthcare access here in Elroy and in rural communities across the state.”