Ascension Our Lady of Victory Hospital, part of Ascension Wisconsin, welcomed the Most Rev. William Patrick Callahan, Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, to celebrate the hospital’s 100th anniversary recently.
The 100th anniversary celebration included a Mass and luncheon at Holy Family Catholic Church in Stanley, Wisconsin, and a blessing of the statue of the Virgin Mary in the Ascension Our Lady of Victory courtyard.
“This is a wonderful celebration of the legacy of those who laid the foundation for our facility and those dedicated professionals who carry on their tradition in our current system of care,” said Dawn Gapko, Chief Administrative Officer, Ascension Our Lady of Victory.
Victory Memorial Hospital opened its doors to its first patients on October 1, 1919. The hospital began in what was known as the Park Avenue House, which had been purchased from the Northwestern Lumber Co. for $4,500.
In 1949, the hospital became a nonprofit organization. A $200,000 addition opened on May 13, 1951, and the hospital then had 45 beds. In November 1959 another addition was added, and a 32-bed nursing home was opened. In August 1967 another major addition housed a 45-bed nursing home. In 1970 a fourth floor was added, and the facility was licensed to care for 86 nursing home residents. Various other construction projects added to the facility in 1973, 1978 and 1986.
In 1995, Ministry Health Care, a ministry of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mothers in Milwaukee, took over operation of Victory Medical Center. In 2001, planning began for a new hospital, and in 2002, Victory Medical Center bought 30 acres of land for a new facility from the city of Stanley.
Ministry Our Lady of Victory Hospital, a 72,000-square-foot, $20 million, 24-bed hospital, opened on November 12, 2003, in Stanley. The facility featured all private inpatient rooms, critical care services, comprehensive inpatient and outpatient surgery, integrated diagnostic and treatment services, an outpatient clinic, a comprehensive rehabilitation center, a dialysis center, and emergency/urgent care services. In 2013, Ascension Our Lady of Victory and the other legacy facilities of Ministry Health Care in central and northern Wisconsin joined Ascension.
To continue its 100th anniversary celebration, Ascension Our Lady of Victory will hold a free community picnic on Sept. 7 featuring food and refreshments, games, activities and music. Snow cones and cotton candy will be available for purchase, with all proceeds benefiting the Stanley Police Department K-9 program.
Photo: From left, Tim Waldoch, Chief Mission Integration Officer, Ascension Wisconsin; Jamie Schaefer and Sheryl Jones, Ascension Wisconsin Central Region Board Members; Dawn Gapko, Chief Administrative Officer, Ascension Our Lady of Victory Hospital; Antonina Olszewski, Director of Spiritual Care, Ascension Wisconsin; Jane Bentz, Director of Foundation, Community Outreach and Volunteer Services, Ascension Our Lady of Victory Hospital; and Sr. Lois Bush, SSM, Regional Superior for the St. Clare of Assisi Region in the United States and the Dominican Republic, The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.
