HSHS planning $270M renovation, expansion of Green Bay hospitals

Hospital Sisters Health System plans to spend $270 million to remodel and expand two of Green Bay’s oldest hospitals, the move coming about a year after the system pulled out of western Wisconsin.

Hospital officials announced the plan at a press conference Thursday, calling it the largest investment in the health system’s history. The nonprofit health care provider says the project is expected to take place over the next three to five years.

The plan calls for modernizing and expanding HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center and HSHS St. Vincent Hospital. According to HSHS, those are Green Bay’s longest-serving hospitals. St. Mary’s Hospital turns 125 this year, while St. Vincent was built in 1888 and was the city’s first hospital.

Speaking inside St. Mary’s Hospital Thursday, HSHS Wisconsin Market President Bob Erickson said the modernization represents more than just an investment in bricks and mortar.

“This is really an investment in our community, for our patients, for our neighbors, for those that trust us, with our care, with our physicians, with all of our colleagues who each and every day count on us,” he said. “This is an investment for them and for our future.”

Renovations on the St. Mary’s Hospital are expected to begin this summer and be complete in 2028. Officials say the revamp includes building a new tower on the campus that will allow for more beds, building additional operating rooms and incorporating more natural light into hospital spaces.

A timeline for the St. Vincent remodel is still being worked out and the health system is still working on plans for that renovation.

“We are still assessing how we can best enhance the public and clinical spaces on that campus, and we’ll be excited to share those updates when we get more details in the future,” said John Wagner, chief operating officer for the HSHS Wisconsin market.

He also said patient care will not be interrupted by construction.

Hospital officials say the investment is driven by a growing population in northeast Wisconsin. Erickson said Brown County is one of the fastest growing in the state and is expected to grow by 12 percent in the next 25 years.

After the press conference, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich told reporters that the $270 million investment is a “great thing” for the city. He said the city has been working with HSHS behind the scenes to plan the logistics around the buildout.

There’s been “a lot of early conversations along those lines, just to make sure that everything is really seamlessly coordinated,” Genrich said. 

While Green Bay stands to benefit from the renovated hospitals, the announcement comes almost a year after HSHS shuttered two western Wisconsin hospitals and a network of clinics.

The closures shocked the community in the Chippewa Valley region and left hundreds of people scrambling to find new health care providers and new jobs. A new hospital could be coming to that area.

Erickson said the western and eastern Wisconsin markets have different circumstances, “nuances and economic realities.” He said the expected population growth in the eastern Wisconsin market drove the need to expand facilities.

“This decision didn’t come at the expense of that one,” he said. “They’re very unique, very different. We’re here because we are the market leader. We’re growing. The need is expanding, so we feel we really need to respond to that need.”