Aspirus Wausau Hospital - Features

Aspirus is an integrated, community governed healthcare system, which leads by advancing initiatives dedicated to improving the health of all we serve. Aspirus is based in Wausau, and includes Aspirus Wausau Hospital and four regional partner hospitals, more than 35 community-based clinics and a vast physician network. With more than 4,300 employees, Aspirus serves people in 14 Wisconsin counties and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, providing leading heart, cancer, women's health, trauma, and spine and neurological care.

Visiting Hours

11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Aspirus Information Center

The Aspirus Information Center assists people with
• Finding an Aspirus Network provider
• Registering for a class, event, or screening
• Information about Aspirus health care services

Parking is available. A free shuttle is available from 7:30 pm – 5:00 pm.

The history of Aspirus Wausau Hospital dates back to the days when lumberjacks worked the virgin timberlands of central Wisconsin. In 1886, a physician and his wife opened Wausau's first hospital, a 25-bed "ticket hospital" located at the corner of Second and Scott streets. At a ticket hospital, lumberjacks could receive up to a year's worth of care by purchasing a $10 ticket. It was sort of an 1880s version of today's prepaid health plans.

A couple of years later that hospital went out of business. It wasn't until 1892 that another hospital was built, this time at the corner of First and Scott streets. A year later, a larger hospital was built next to the river and was appropriately called Riverside Hospital.

In August 1974, the hospital's board of directors approved plans for a new hospital on land donated by Wausau Insurance Cos. Construction of Aspirus Wausau Hospital was completed in 1979. Continued growth, particularly in the area of outpatient surgery, necessitated a 54-bed expansion in 1982. Construction of a three-story outpatient services facility was completed in 1992. From a 25-bed lumberjack hospital to a modern, 321-bed, multi-specialty regional healthcare center, Aspirus Wausau Hospital has remained committed to serving the health care needs of residents of Wausau and a 12-county region of northern and central Wisconsin.

The Aspirus Volunteers is an inclusive organization through which people individually, or as a group, volunteer time, talent, and resources to improve the spiritual and physical health and well-being of the residents of north and central Wisconsin, fostering the mission of Aspirus and its subsidiaries. Together, 575 adult volunteers and 136 teen volunteers donated more than 70,000 hours representing a value of over $1.4 million in contributed services to area residents in 2009.

The Aspirus Health Foundation is committed to developing resources that advance the health of communities in north and central Wisconsin, and increase access to the latest health services for everyone. The work of the Foundation is dependent on the generosity of a broad range of individuals, businesses, and organizations committed to providing state-of-the-art health services for people in north and central Wisconsin.

Laryngectomee Support Group
Mom and Baby Support Group
Help for the Grieving Heart Support Group
Prostate Cancer Support Group
Kidney Support Group
Look Good, Feel Better
AfterReach
Reach to Recovery
Stroke Club
Brain Injury Support Group
Changing Times
Spinal Cord Injury Support Group
Adult Depression/Anxiety Support Group
Compassionate Friends
ALOHA - Bariatric Surgery Support Group
Food Allergy Support Group
Suicide Grief Support Group
Support After Infant Death (SAID)
Men's Grief Group
Multiple Sclerosis Support Group
Ostomy Support Group
For Children and Teens - Camps
A Lifetime of Healthy Achievements Online Support Group
Help for the Grieving Heart Support Group
Young Widows/Widowers Grief Group