Lafayette Hospital + Clinics Opens New State-of-the-Art Facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Jill Carlson, Public Relations Strategist 

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Lafayette Hospital + Clinics Opens New State-of-the-Art Facility

Compeer Financial facilitated financing package to secure vital healthcare access for rural community

Sun Prairie, Wis. (Aug. 26, 2025) – Lafayette County and rural southwest Wisconsin residents gained access to a new state-of-the-art healthcare facility at Lafayette Hospital + Clinics (LHC) in Darlington, Wis. The ribbon cutting, attended by Governor Tony Evers, on Aug. 21 marked the completion of two years of construction on an 84,000-square-foot facility that doubles the space of the prior hospital, while leaving room for convenient parking and future expansions. 

Doors to the new hospital and clinics officially opened April 14. Compared to 2024, the facility is already seeing a 61 percent increase in MRIs, 12 percent increase in lab services, 13 percent increase in Darlington Clinic visits, 9 percent increase in radiology services, and 2 percent increase in other hospital outpatient visits.

“We are ecstatic to introduce our region’s residents to our new Lafayette Hospital + Clinics, formerly known as Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County,” said Marie Wamsley, CEO of LHC, the only county-owned hospital in the state. “The facility upgrades the technologies and services we’re able to offer our patients and the region’s healthcare providers, and the new location gives us room to grow. We’re grateful for the partnership with Compeer Financial in helping secure funding so we can continue to provide our rural community with the comprehensive, around-the-clock medical care it has relied on for more than 70 years.”

Compeer Financial partnered with the regional Clare Bank and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to secure a $50.87 million financing package that included:

• $5 million in USDA Community Facility Guarantee construction and permanent financing
• $45.87 million in construction-only financing, which will now convert to a USDA Direct Loan with the project completion

Congressional Direct Spend programs, the USDA and the State of Wisconsin contributed an additional $14 million in grants to LHC. The funding collaboration was vital to maintaining accessible, essential healthcare services and ensuring the long-term vitality of this rural community. Accessible rural healthcare has proven a challenge in recent years, as nearly 190 rural hospitals have closed since 2010. As a result, many rural residents are faced with increasingly longer travel distances to receive both routine and emergency medical services, which also increases their overall costs.

“Rural communities are the backbone of America, but their residents often experience less than adequate healthcare resources. As a member of the Farm Credit System, Compeer Financial is committed to uplifting rural communities and agriculture by helping fund rural hospitals and other essential facilities,” said Ben Larson, senior financing officer of mission-related investments at Compeer Financial. “It’s been an honor to collaborate with the teams at LHC, Clare Bank and USDA to secure financing and help modernize healthcare in southwestern Wisconsin.”

Building upon its previous 70 years of care, the new LHC facility expands and improves services such as orthopedics, urology, wellness/prevention and mental health. It now houses 24 licensed inpatient beds, two operating rooms, a procedure room and advanced technologies that include:

• Onsite 3T MRI. As the sole provider within a 60-mile radius, LHC is enabling patients to stay close to home, as well as providing other healthcare facilities with a closer referral location.
• Robotic surgery. This advanced technology helps reduce patient pain and discomfort, speed healing and shorten hospital stays.
• Electronic Intensive Care Unit (eICU). LHC can now take advantage of a partnership with physicians at University of Wisconsin Hospitals to offer onsite critical patient care so patients can remain close to home.

Beyond infrastructure upgrades, the hospital features improved operational efficiencies, including centralized registration and clinic space to streamline patient flow and provide more affordable healthcare. In addition, the new, expanded facility helps maintain jobs and attract skilled medical professionals to serve the rural community. Since the start of 2025, LHC has hired 19 new employees, including a new behavioral health psychiatrist. LHC’s commitment to the health of the communities it serves mirrors Compeer Financial’s dedication to supporting rural communities and agriculture by financing facilities like hospitals, senior care centers and other essential community facilities. 

“I am incredibly grateful for this hospital and what it meant to me, my family and the friends who were able to visit during a challenging time in my life,” said Pat Meylor of Darlington. “You don’t often think you’ll need this level of care—until suddenly, you do. When life takes an unexpected turn, having access to high-quality healthcare close to home is truly invaluable. Our community is fortunate to have such exceptional care available.”

A recent study by Escalent revealed an estimated $6 billion annual shortfall in funding for healthcare and other critical facilities. Without addressing this gap, rural communities risk losing the vital infrastructure needed to support residents and attract future generations. The bipartisan Investing in Rural America Act aims to provide permanent authority for Farm Credit System institutions to finance essential rural community facilities.

About Compeer Financial

Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities. The $35.5 billion organization provides loans, leases, risk management and other financial services throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in the Upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America, while providing personalized service and expertise to clients and the agriculture industry.

Compeer Financial is the third largest cooperative of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of lending institutions supporting agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Learn more about Compeer Financial’s patronage program.

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