Nearly one year after the closings of Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has invited Blugold Real Estate to consider purchasing the former Sacred Heart Hospital building site, Executive Director of Blugold Curt Krizan said in an email statement.
The Blugold Real Estate Foundation is a non-stock, non-profit Wisconsin corporation organized by the UW-Eau Claire Foundation in 2015 and is the legal owner of all real estate acquired for the benefit of UW-Eau Claire, Krizan said in the email.
“Blugold Real Estate’s Board of Directors is conducting its due diligence, and if Blugold Real Estate acquires the building, we will share additional details at that time,” Krizan said in the email.
Eau Claire tax records reveal that Blugold Real Estate purchased the site’s two parking lots in October, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
The parking lots are located behind the main hospital campus, along the road leading to the UW-Eau Claire dorms, according to WPR.
The Sacred Heart Hospital closure was part of the Hospital Sisters Health Systems’ complete exit from the Western Wisconsin Region, according to WPR.
Due to the hospital closures and 17 clinics closing in the western region of Wisconsin by October 2024, doctors and healthcare workers have been concerned about being able to provide healthcare to everyone who needs it, according to previous reporting by The Badger Herald.
Eau Claire’s health system held back certain operations in western areas of Wisconsin because the system felt it was the best financial decision post-pandemic, according to previous reporting.
All of the patients who relied on either of the two hospitals or the 17 clinics as their primary health providers had to shift to another provider, according to previous reporting.
There are now more people in the emergency room, more beds being filled in the remaining hospitals and clinics and patients must schedule appointments further in advance to be able to receive healthcare, according to previous reporting.