HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital celebrates 100 years

Mass of Celebration and community health fair set for Wednesday, June 1

Oconto Falls, Wis. — As HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls celebrates 100 years of service, community members are invited to a Mass of Celebration with The Most Reverend David L. Ricken, DD, JCL, and a community health fair on the hospital campus on June 1.

“This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to this community – for choosing us, for trusting us and for making us a cornerstone of this community all these years,” said Chris Brabant, President and CEO, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. “This is a very important milestone for our hospital, and we are celebrating it by honoring our history and all that is to come in the future – especially as we look to continue to expand and advance our services to meet the health care needs of our county and our community.”

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital 100th Anniversary events

Wednesday, June 1 at 855 S. Main St., Oconto Falls

• 9 to 10 a.m.: Mass of Celebration with The Most Reverend David L. Ricken, DD, JCL
• 10 a.m. to Noon: Reception including food and beverages
• 3 to 6 p.m.: A family-friendly community health fair and celebration including food and beverages

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital officially marked its 100^th anniversary in 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic is celebrating the milestone with community events this year.  

Formerly named Oconto Falls City Hospital and Community Memorial Hospital, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital has been a part of Oconto Falls, Wis. history since 1921. The hospital was formed as a not-for-profit organization with a board of directors chosen from citizens of the community.

When the hospital opened its doors in 1921 at 125 S. Main Street it was Oconto Falls City Hospital. In 1954, the hospital was named Community Memorial Hospital in honor of military veterans and moved to the former City Hall which was remodeled to accommodate a larger facility with modernized services. In 1972, the current facility at 855 S. Main Street opened its doors, further expanding medical services available to Oconto Falls residents and surrounding communities. In 2014, Community Memorial Hospital joined Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) and became HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital.

A certified critical access rural health hospital, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital offers 24-hour emergency care and a variety of other services at 855 S. Main St. in Oconto Falls. It also operates five rural health clinics in partnership with Prevea Health. This year, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital was named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

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About HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital serves Oconto Falls and the surrounding communities as a federally designated critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency department; inpatient and outpatient surgical and diagnostic services; cancer care; therapy and rehabilitation; wound care; the Almost Home Swing Bed program; and more. It was founded as Oconto Falls City Hospital in 1921 and became HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in 2014 when it joined Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). As an affiliate of HSHS, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital draws on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as it serves the health care needs of the region in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital also has five rural health center locations in affiliation with Prevea Health in Gillett, Lena, Mountain, Oconto Falls and Suring; and operates HSHS Pharmacies in Gillett and Oconto Falls, and HSHS Prescription Services (remote dispensing sites) in Lena, Mountain and Pulaski. In 2022, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital was named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. For more information about St. Clare, please visit: www.stclarememorial.org.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.