MeetEmplify Health
Meet Emplify Health
At Emplify Health, healthcare transcends walls. We understand health is more than medicine – it's community and compassion. That's why we combine expertise with empathy, breaking down barriers to build a healthier future.
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 passionate caregivers
Our most fundamental commitment is to care with empathy. About all of you, where and when you need us with care that’s personal, accessible and integrated. As healthcare should be. Our culture of empathy drives us to eliminate barriers and help our communities get and stay well. To that end, we measure ourselves by the health and happiness of each community we serve.
We're lifelong learners
At Emplify Health, knowledge is power. That’s why you’ll see our teams working together to advance their knowledge and expertise to provide the care that you deserve. In our clinical environment, we’re educators training the next generation of healthcare providers through our leading residencies and fellowships.
We're nimble innovators
We’re more than your trusted partner in healthcare. We champion ideas that create breakthroughs. We’re creating a more inhabitable world through our energy independence and sustainability efforts. We accelerate progress by advancing the science of medicine to transform health outcomes. And we do it all because lives change when empathy meets innovation.
Expansive expertise
Emplify Health is comprised of two of the Midwest’s most respected health systems. 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, shared provider expertise and innovative medical education programs.
- 67cities and rural communities
- 1,400+providers
- 3,200+nurses
- $210min community-investment
Why Emplify Health?
Emplify Health is more than our new name. It's a powerful verb that heals, helps and has the potential to improve entire communities and change lives for the better. Here, we amplify empathy.
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.
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.
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.