CHIPPEWA FALLS — Operated by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) ) in partnership with the Health Dimensions Group, the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Chippewa Falls will host a ceremony celebrating its fifth anniversary Thursday, February 1.
Since it officially opened on February 4, 2013, the 72-bed facility, located at 2175 East Park Ave., has become a fixture of the community and a place for military Veterans, their spouses, families and Gold Star parents to reside and receive top-tier care.
“Our Chippewa Falls Veterans home has been thriving ever since it opened,” WDVA Secretary Daniel J. Zimmerman said. “The home has become a staple of the community, and it’s been a valuable place for our nation’s heroes and their loved ones to get the skilled-nursing care they have earned.”
Through the past five years, the facility has served 224 members with outstanding service and offerings. Those members include 196 military Veterans, 27 spouses of Veterans and one Gold Star mother.
After it opened, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ranked the Chippewa Falls Veterans home at five stars, an honor it’s held onto since. The superior rating places the home in the top 15 percent of all skilled nursing facilities in the nation.
“The quality care our Veterans receive from our dedicated staff is unparalleled,” Secretary Zimmerman added. “Staff members take the time to build relationships with our Veterans to better serve them. Without them, the success we’ve had through the last five years at the facility wouldn’t be possible.”
Amenities offered at the Veterans home include private living units, an on-site exam room for medical providers, a library, a chapel with weekly services and a barber/beauty shop and various programs that aim to enrich the everyday lives of the members.
The Veterans home at Chippewa Falls has been successful in part because of its staff members, but also the incredible support of the surrounding community. Currently, the home has 74 registered volunteers who have logged hundreds of hours through assisting with activities and events, therapy dog visits, decorating the facility and much more.
Countless donations from individuals, communities, and organizations have provided members with special clothing items, equipment for activities and programs, a handicap-accessible vehicle and many other items that go toward enhancing the members’ experience.
“(Living at the Chippewa Falls Veterans home) is the best possible thing that could have happened to (my wife and I),” Veteran and member Max Bergen said. “We’re surrounded by so many people who are concerned about us and truly care for and respect us. We couldn’t be in a better place … we love it here.”
The Veterans home is one of three operated by the WDVA, with one located in King and another in Union Grove. Together, the three Veterans homes serve nearly 1,000 Veterans and their spouses..
