Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative

About Us

Incorporated in 1979 as the Rural Wisconsin Hospital Cooperative, RWHC has received national recognition as one of the country's earliest and most successful models for networking among rural hospitals. Today, the work continues as the renamed Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative responds to the needs of its diverse members and their communities.

Our Vision is that Wisconsin communities will be the healthiest in America. Our Mission is to be a strong and innovative cooperative of diversified rural hospitals and to be the “rural advocate of choice” for our Members.

RWHC serves as a catalyst for statewide collaboration and a progressive, creative force on behalf of all rural health constituencies. Owned by forty-three non-profit, rural acute, general medical-surgical hospitals, RWHC’s charge is twofold: advocacy for rural health at the State and Federal levels and shared service development for member hospitals as well as external customers. The Core Values of trust, collaboration, creativity, excellence, pride, openness, individual development, productivity, and responsibility continue to define the work of RWHC and its members.

RWHC’s advocacy agenda is as follows:
- Equitable Medicare/Medicaid Funding
- Health Plan Network Adequacy
- Rural Relevant “Volume to Value” Incentives
- Avoiding Rural Collateral Damage as Giants Battle
- The Needed Statewide Workforce
- Physician/Staff Engagement/Retention
- The Effective Use of All Caregivers
- Rural Economic & Community Growth