Emplify Health

Health System with 3 hospitals across 1 state

Health System Overview

Health SystemEmplify Health
Total Hospitals3
Commercial/Acute Hospitals3
Total Beds592
Commercial/Acute Beds592
HeadquartersGreen Bay, WI
Websiteemplifyhealth.org

Hospitals by Type

Acute Care Hospital
2 hospitals
67% of health system
Critical Access Hospital
1 hospitals
33% of health system

Teaching Status

33%
Teaching
Teaching Hospitals: 1
Non-Teaching Hospitals: 2
Teaching hospitals serve as educational institutions for medical professionals while providing patient care.

Hospital Locations

Hospitals in this Health System

HospitalTypeBedsTeachingRecently Joined
Emplify HealthAcute Care Hospital242NoNo
Emplify HealthAcute Care Hospital325YesNo
Emplify HealthCritical Access Hospital 25NoNo

Recent News

Jun 16, 2025
Emplify Health's Green Bay and La Crosse hospitals were among 19 hospitals and medical centers recognized by UW Organ and Tissue Donation for their commitment to saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation. UW Organ and Tissue Donation is a federally designated organ procurement organization serving over 100 hospitals in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Emplify Health received awards for their 2024 performance. Emplify Health by Bellin Green Bay Hospital was recognized with the Excellence in Tissue Donation award, which is given to hospitals achieving at least a 66 percent authorization rate from families for tissue donation. Emplify Health by Gundersen La Crosse Hospital received the Silver Award of Hope and the Nachreiner Family Care Award. The Award of Hope recognizes hospitals that achieve or exceed goals that maximize organ donation, based on true conversion rate, organs transplanted per donor, and referral rate. The Silver Award indicates they met two of these three metrics. These awards highlight the collaborative work between the hospitals and UW Organ and Tissue Donation in facilitating organ and tissue donation. Michael Anderson, executive director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation, commended the hospitals and their care teams for honoring donors and ensuring gifts reach those in need. [8]
Jun 09, 2025
Emplify Health by Gundersen's Trauma and Emergency Services in La Crosse, Wisconsin, achieved a record milestone in 2024 by serving 189,000 patients. In response to increasing demand, Emplify Health by Gundersen is implementing innovative programs aimed at managing patient flow and providing care upstream, ensuring patients receive care at the most appropriate level. As part of these efforts, there are plans to open an Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing (EmPATH) unit in La Crosse. This unit is intended to provide a more suitable environment for patients experiencing a mental health crisis who present in the Emergency Department.
Jun 04, 2025
Emplify Health by Bellin and Marquette University have announced the launch of the Resch Mental Health Initiative, a seven-year pilot program aimed at addressing the shortage of mental health professionals in Northeast Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This initiative is funded by a gift from The Richard J. Resch Foundation to The Bellin Health Foundation. The program will recruit 25 students from the affected regions, support them in earning a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling, and provide supervised training with an Emplify Health by Bellin clinical supervisor. The goal is to create a fully supported pathway from education to licensure and employment, thereby enhancing mental health care access in the region. Chris Woleske, Emplify Health Executive Vice President and Bellin Region President, stated that this initiative is a transformative step towards addressing the mental health professional shortage and ensuring communities have access to quality mental health care. The program includes fully funded tuition and stipends, hands-on clinical training at Emplify Health by Bellin locations, and mentorship opportunities. This partnership is expected to have a substantial economic impact, with graduates potentially serving an estimated 26,000 clients per year, potentially resulting in significant annual savings related to untreated mental illness. [6, 7, 9, 16]
Jun 02, 2025
Emplify Health by Bellin received a prestigious Environmental Design Research Association's (EDRA) Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) award at the EDRA56 conference in California. [15, 16] This award recognizes projects that meet high standards in research methodology, innovation, and practical application of findings. [15, 16] The award-winning study, conducted in 2023, focused on the orthopedic and total joint service lines at Emplify Health by Bellin's Titletown and Marinette Clinics, comparing linear and pod clinic configurations. [15] Using a mixed-methods approach including observations, surveys, and interviews with staff and patients, the study aimed to determine which layout best supported staff efficiency and patient satisfaction. [15, 16] The findings indicated that a pod configuration can improve communication and collaboration among staff and provide a more comfortable and streamlined patient experience. [15, 16] Outcomes from this research will inform future outpatient facility designs for Emplify Health, demonstrating the organization's commitment to using evidence-based research to enhance care delivery and facility design. [15, 16]
Jun 02, 2025
Emplify Health by Bellin has a growing partnership with OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group in Escanaba, Michigan. This collaboration has expanded over the past two years, initially through a cardiovascular clinic established in 2023 and more recently with the opening of a cardiac catheterization lab in July 2024. The partnership has facilitated the return of U.P. native Dr. Kristofer Dosh to the area, joining other U.P. natives on the cardiology team serving Delta County. OSF HealthCare leadership expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, highlighting its role in bringing experienced providers back to the Upper Peninsula to provide cardiovascular care to the community. [7]

Executive Leadership

Scott Rathgaber, MD

Chief Executive Officer

Was CEO of La Crosse-based Gundersen Health System from 2015 until the health system merged with Green Bay-based Bellin Health and adopted the name Emplify in late 2022. [9]

Chris Woleske, JD

Executive Vice President and Bellin Region President

Associated with Bellin Health System which united with Gundersen Health System to form Emplify Health. [1, 6, 11]

Heather Schimmers, RN, MBA

Gundersen Region President

Associated with Gundersen Health System which united with Bellin Health System to form Emplify Health. [1, 6, 13]