LA CROSSE, Wis. ― Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse has broken ground on its new six-floor, 70-bed hospital. During a special ceremony, Mayo Clinic Health System leaders expressed gratitude for the hard work of the dedicated staff and the community's support of the organization.

"This may be the beginning of a construction project, but I see it as the culmination of years of really phenomenal work by our staff," said Paul Mueller, M.D., regional vice president for Mayo Clinic Health System in Southwest Wisconsin. "Mayo Clinic Health System is a recognized leader in quality, safety and service. The new hospital will further enhance our ability to provide Mayo Clinic care to patients in this region and a great workplace for our staff."

"When completed, our La Crosse hospital will be unparalleled in its use of technology, as well as innovative and efficient design to support our staff … and in the thoughtful details that enhance the healing environment — providing convenience, safe, comfortable surroundings for patients and visitors," said Prathibha Varkey, M.B.B.S., president of Mayo Clinic Health System.

"As a Mayo organization, we will never lose sight of what this facility will mean for our patients because our primary value is and will always bethe needs of the patient come first," said Michael Morrey, regional chair of administration for Mayo Clinic Health System in Southwest Wisconsin.

The groundbreaking ceremony concluded with blessings from the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who founded the St. Francis Hospital in 1883, and Marlon WhiteEagle, president of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse sits on Indigenous land.

"This is just the beginning of many exciting developments in the services we provide and how we care for our patients, whether it's virtually or in person," said Lisa Archer, chief nursing officer for Mayo Clinic Health System in Southwest Wisconsin.

The new hospital in La Crosse will foster a culture of excellence and equip staff with the latest tools to Cure, Connect and Transform community health care.

The new facility, which will replace the current hospital building, will include:

• A surgical and procedural floor adjacent to, and integrated with, the current operating rooms, housing presurgery and postsurgery recovery rooms.
• Endoscopy suites.
• Cardiac catheterization labs and interventional radiology.
• Medical-Surgical units.
• A flexible ICU and Progressive Care Unit.
• A new Family Birth Center.
• Space for future growth.

This is the largest construction project in the history of the Mayo Clinic Health System. The new hospital is expected to open in late 2024.

The community can follow the construction on the Mayo Clinic Health System website.

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About Mayo Clinic Health System

Mayo Clinic Health System has physical presence in 44 communities and consists of 53 clinics, 16 hospitals and other facilities that serve the health care needs of people in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The community-based providers, paired with the resources and expertise of Mayo Clinic, enable patients in the region to receive highest-quality physical and virtual health care close to home.

About Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse

Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse was the only health care facility in Southwest Wisconsin in 2021 that received the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid's 5-Star Quality Rating and Leapfrog Grade A for Safety, and was named in Healthgrades America's "250 Best Hospitals" and Newsweek's "Best Hospitals in the U.S."

Media contact:

• Rick Thiesse, Mayo Clinic Health System Public Affairs, 608I just-392-9435, thiesse.ricky@mayo.edu

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