Black River Falls, Wis.-based Krohn Clinic, a multispecialty group, and Black River Memorial Hospital on Dec. 30 merged to create Black River Health.
The decision to combine comes in response to growing healthcare challenges with Jackson County faring worse than the average county in Wisconsin for health outcomes, according to the organizations.
"This partnership unites the strengths of both organizations, driven by a shared vision of delivering sustainable, high-quality care close to home, Carl Selvick, president and CEO of Black River Memorial, said in a news release. "It is a bold move to meet the evolving health needs of our community."
Through this partnership, Black River Health said it aims to attract new providers, offer more specialties and improve more lives each year.
"Both BRMH and Krohn Clinic are strong on their own, but together we can do even more to improve the health of our community," Michelle Clark-Forsting, MD, Krohn Clinic president and administrator, said.
A key tenet of the partnership is maintaining the independence of each organization while working as a unified entity. Black River Health leadership will be shared between Dr. Clark-Forsting, who will become chief physician executive, and Mr. Selvick, who will serve as CEO.
Local decision-making will remain at the forefront, ensuring that community needs guide Black River Health services.