New Gundersen clinic to expand decades of care in Winona

Gundersen Health System has cared for patients in and around Winona, Minn., for decades, and the demand for care is increasing.

To bring care closer to home for the many Winona area patients currently traveling to Gundersen locations in La Crosse and Onalaska, Wis., for their care, Gundersen will open a clinic with a full range of services at Highway 61 and Vila Street in Winona.

"We are excited about our plans to expand on the care we have provided to the Winona community for more than 30 years by investing further through this project," says Scott Rathgaber, MD, chief executive officer, Gundersen Health System. "We believe in our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve and are committed to bringing that care as close to home as possible. We have seen the commitment of patients in the Winona community who choose to travel to La Crosse and Onalaska to receive care at Gundersen that we currently don't offer locally. We are grateful for that trust in our expertise and hope this project will ease the travel burden by anchoring more of that care in Winona."

The approximately 86,000 square foot new clinic will include primary care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and women’s health); urgent care; infusion services; retail pharmacy; lab; imaging services; and an outpatient surgery center. These services will be joined at the new location by expanded specialty outreach and services Gundersen has provided in Winona for decades including Physical and Occupational Therapy and the Eye Clinic. Gundersen Dental Specialties, which includes orthodontics, oral surgery, dental implants and more, will remain in downtown Winona at the 111 Riverfront Building.

While Gundersen prepares to open this state-of-the-art clinic, its partnership with Winona Health will continue.

"We will continue to work with Winona Health because we need strong hospital and medical partners to provide care close to home," Dr. Rathgaber shares. "At the same time, demand for Gundersen's care in and around Winona is increasing. As we have shown in other communities, expanding our clinic services will allow us to more efficiently enhance the health and well-being of our patients and make a positive, lasting impact on the community."

Gundersen's new clinic is expected to open in phases from late 2019 into 2020.