By Nancy Barthel | For On Mission
GREEN BAY — When Bob Erickson, Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) Wisconsin Market president and CEO, announced plans March 6 to expand and remodel both HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center and HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, it was the people the hospitals serve and those who provide the care who were the focus.
“This is much more than an investment in our brick and mortar,” said Erickson. “This investment is Hospital Sisters Health System’s response to a need for greater access to health care in Green Bay.”
“With projected population growth, an aging population and a growing number of patients traveling to Green Bay from afar to seek health care, we see a significant need to open more access to patients who want to receive care from us,” he said.
The year 2025 marks the 125th anniversary of HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, 1726 Shawano Ave., and it was there the announcement was made that HSHS is investing $270 million in strategic capital over the next three to five years in the Green Bay market.
Based in Springfield, Ill., HSHS employs nearly 11,000 people in health care facilities in eastern Wisconsin and central and southern Illinois.
In addition to the two Green Bay hospitals, HSHS also owns HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls.
HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, with its location just off of I-41, will see the largest expansion and transformation, according to the announcement.
Preliminary plans include a new tower on the existing campus for more intermediate and intensive care beds, as well as additional operating and procedural rooms, wider corridors and spaces that offer more natural light.
Plans also include additional parking and entry to make navigating the hospital campus easier.
Construction at HSHS St. Mary’s is expected to begin in summer 2025 and be completed in 2028.
HSHS St. Mary’s is the only hospital on Green Bay’s west side.
“There are tremendous benefits to our community in where St. Mary’s is located,” said John Wagner, chief operating officer, HSHS Wisconsin Market.
“Not only does St. Mary’s provide Green Bay’s west side community greater access to care, but its location off I-41 makes it ideal for easy health care access for those traveling from as far north as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to as far south as Fond du Lac.”
Construction plans at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, 835 S. Van Buren St., will be announced at a later date. It is home to a Level II Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, Women and Infants Center, and Green Bay’s only children’s hospital — HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital.
Community invited to celebrate
“I’m so excited to hear about the significant investments taking place at St. Mary’s,” said Green Bay Bishop David Ricken. “It makes celebrating 125 years that much more special as you take this next step into further expanding access to high quality Franciscan healthcare for the next 100 years.”
“As health care continues to evolve, your ongoing commitment to renewal and investment in St. Mary’s helps ensure readiness for future challenges,” he said.
HSHS St. Mary’s is inviting community members and past and present medical staff to share their memories of the hospital. Submissions can be shared HERE.
“For 125 years, our hospital has been more than a place of healing. It has been a cornerstone of this community,” said Erickson in announcing the anniversary earlier this year.
“Generations of families have found comfort in our care, and (staff) dedicated their careers to providing high-quality, compassionate care at St. Mary’s,” he said.
History begins in 1900
On Oct. 10, 1900, five members of the Sisters of Misericorde arrived in Green Bay upon the invitation of Green Bay Bishop Sebastian Messmer to provide care for unwed mothers and their babies. By 1903, with community support, they opened a general hospital on the city’s east side in 1903.
The hospital transitioned in 1960 to the west side and, in 1974, the Sisters of Misericorde transferred sponsorship of St. Mary’s Hospital to the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1974.
Today, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is a nationally accredited hospital, providing emergency, surgical, critical, heart and vascular, and advanced orthopedic care, as well as therapy, rehabilitation and more.
A comprehensive cancer center on the hospital campus works in partnership with HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Centers and Green Bay Oncology.
All HSHS hospitals in Wisconsin are partnered with Prevea Health to provide a system of coordinated care across Northeast Wisconsin.
The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis also mark a significant milestone this year: the 150th anniversary of their arrival to the United States from Germany to establish their first hospitals.
Beloved figure in HSHS history
One of the most beloved figures in HSHS Green Bay history is Sr. Annice McClure, OSF, who served at both HSHS St. Vincent’s and St. Mary’s.
She started working at HSHS St. Vincent as a teenager and was one of the first Hospital Sisters of St. Francis Sisters to serve St. Mary’s when the Sisters of Misericorde transferred ownership of the hospital in 1974.
Sr. Annice retired in 2024 at the age of 92 and is now living at the Hospital Sisters Motherhouse in Springfield, Ill.
But her many years of service in Green Bay are never far from her mind.
“I’d like to say thank you to the men and women who are part of the St. Mary’s Hospital family over these 125 years,” she said from the motherhouse. “Because of their countless gifts of service, our mission has become their mission and the hospital continues to be positioned to serve the community. My sisters and I are so grateful for each of them and for their service.”
Bishop Ricken echoed her sentiments.
“Your history reflects a deep commitment to serving this community with dedication and compassion. This anniversary coincides with a Jubilee Year of Hope as proclaimed by Pope Francis for 2025,” he said. “May this convergence of celebration and reliance on the virtue of hope we have in Christ bring strength and vitality to your mission.”
“There are a lot of people to thank,” he said.
“As we reflect on this milestone, we may honor the founding vision of the Misericordia Sisters and the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis who responded to God’s call to bring healing to others, following the example of Jesus. Thank you to all the health care providers, nurses, doctors, staff and leaders for continuing this mission while maintaining values of respect, care, competence and joy.”
“May God who began this good work and healing in our community through you continue to use it as a conduit for Christ’s healing presence today,” said Bishop Ricken, “especially as you serve the most vulnerable among us.”
A website designed to keep the community informed about the project is available HERE.
On Mission article on Sr. Annice McClure, OSF is available HERE.
