June 10, 2019 – Town of Polk, WI – On June 6 a story was posted on WashingtonCountyInsider.com about the pending name change for St. Joseph’s Hospital in the Town of Polk.
Tom Duncan, vice present and COO of Froedtert South said the new name would be Froedtert West Bend Hospital. “By emphasizing community location and the Froedtert name, we will identify to local residents that they have access across the region to the high-quality service for which Froedtert Hospital is known,” said Duncan in an article published at the Journal Times.
After the announcement neighbors had a couple questions regarding the extent of the name change and what would happen to the St. Joseph’s statue. The answers were provided by the hospital’s Rita Schuetz.
- The only health center changing names will be the current St. Joseph’s Health Center, 3200 Pleasant Valley Road, West Bend, located in a building adjacent to St. Joseph’s Hospital. It will be Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Pleasant Valley Health Center.
- The public will begin seeing the name changes go into effect in fall 2019.
- The St. Joseph’s statue on the hospital campus will remain to honor the legacy of St. Joseph’s Hospital.
On a history note: The small nameplate at the base of the statue reads, ‘Original statue from St. Joseph’s Hospital Chapel West Bend, Wi – Circa 1930.’
The name of St. Joseph’s Hospital dates to the late 1920’s when the cornerstone of the original hospital was ‘laid in November 1929 and in spite of a rigorous winter, building progressed rapidly and the dedication ceremony took place July 2, 1930.’
At the time St. Joe’s was located on the corner of Silverbrook and Oak Street in West Bend.