Sept. 06--In the late 1950s, a couple of doctors in Bloomer agreed the city needed its own hospital and began working with the community to build a medical facility the city could call its own.
Construction began in 1960, and the Bloomer Community Memorial Hospital opened in 1961.
Now known as Mayo Clinic Health System-Chippewa Valley in Bloomer, the hospital will celebrate its 50th anniversary Oct. 1.
"There were local doctors practicing out of their offices," hospital spokeswoman Traci Schoonover said. "Two of the physicians established here drove the idea of having a hospital. The community saw it as something beneficial and worth the time and money."
A committee found an ideal location for the hospital on farmland outside city limits at 1501 Thompson St., south of Lake Como. The hospital was officially dedicated Oct. 1, 1961.
Schoonover said the hospital was so remote cows from a nearby farm got loose and were seen looking in windows of the building. These days the hospital is within city limits and is surrounded by houses.
The 16,347 square-foot hospital was built for approximately $400,000 and included 35 beds. The building has expanded over time and today offers more services. While it now only has 25 beds, a 32-bed nursing home was added.
"We have Mayo One, with the helipad," Schoonover said. "We have full surgical services. We don't deliver babies anymore -- we stopped that 12 years ago."
The hospital has more than 300 employees, including 10 full-time doctors. Specialists also regularly visit the hospital from nearby facilities, she said.
The anniversary celebration will be under a big tent on the lawn of the hospital. Schoonover said a variety of memorabilia from the hospital's history will be on display, along with music and food.
Vetter can be reached at 715-723-0303 or chris.vetter@ecpc.com.
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