MeetEmplify Health

Image of the white Emplify Health logo.

A little empathy changes everything

Emplify Health is what it looks like when neighbors come together. It’s a community of people working together to deliver world-class healthcare with a little more caring, a little more heart and a little empathy.

Our pillars

We inspire your best life by relentlessly caring, learning and innovating. This is our purpose.

Leading with love, we courageously commit to a future of healthy people and thriving communities. This is our aspiration.

Together with our values — belonging, respect, excellence, accountability, teamwork and humility — our pillars set our foundation and our future. 

We're empathetic caregivers

We are committed to meeting you where and when you need us with team-based care that’s personal and accessible. We strive to eliminate barriers, help you get and stay well and ensure happiness in each community we serve.

We're continuous learners

For us, knowledge is power. That’s why you’ll see our teams working together to advance their expertise. We’re educators training the next generation of healthcare providers through our leading residencies and fellowships.   

We're active innovators

We’re more than your trusted partner in healthcare. We’re creating a more inhabitable world through our energy independence and sustainability efforts, and we do it all because lives change when empathy meets innovation.

Compassionate expertise 

Emplify Health is comprised of two of the Midwest’s most respected healthcare systems. We were neighbors, but now we are partners. By uniting our 11 hospitals and more than 100 clinics across Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, you’ll have access to a broader care network, including top-tier clinical services, over 4,500 nurses and providers and innovative medical education programs.

  • 67cities and rural communities
  • 200+services offered
  • 133years caring for you
  • $210min community investment

Our leadership

Scott Rathgaber, MD, Chief Executive Officer  

Chris Woleske, JD, Executive Vice President and Bellin Region President

Heather Schimmers, RN, MBA, Gundersen Region President 

Together, we're committed to guiding our physician-led enterprise with empathy and empowering teams to change healthcare. 

The history of

Bellin Health System

The Bellin Health legacy began in 1907 when founder Julius Bellin, MD, converted a house into a 15-bed general hospital that in 1925 was renamed Bellin Memorial Hospital. In 1977, Bellin expanded into the community and sponsored the first annual Bellin Run, and in 1994, its first of many family medicine clinics opened in Denmark, Wis. Bellin quickly expanded its leading specialty and primary care throughout Wisconsin and into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and in 2007, Bellin Health became the official healthcare provider of the Green Bay Packers

The history of

Gundersen Health System

In 1891, Norwegian-born surgeon Adolf Gundersen, MD, opened his practice in La Crosse and served as Lutheran Hospital’s first medical director when it opened in 1902. In 1930, Dr. Gundersen moved his office from downtown La Crosse to a new clinic next to the hospital to be closer to his patients. Gundersen Clinic and Lutheran Hospital united and expanded over the years, evolving through affiliations in rural areas to become a leading healthcare provider. In 1995, the clinic and hospital formed Gundersen Lutheran, Inc., and became Gundersen Health System in 2013. 

Your care at Emplify Health

The care teams you know and trust will still be at the same locations they are today, along with the personalized care you expect. That's our promise to our patients and to our teams — a promise we’re keeping. We understand this is a big change, and that you have questions. We’re here to answer them.