Small Street Journal: October 6, 2017

HSHS Western Wisconsin Division administrators announced that Charisse Oland, Ed.D, FACHE, has accepted the position of president and CEO of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital. She will begin serving St. Joseph’s on Monday, Nov. 27. The position at St. Joseph’s became available when Joan Coffman, former president and CEO, moved to Decatur, Ill., to take the same position at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital. Oland, who will transition from Rusk County Memorial Hospital CEO to take this position, is not a stranger to HSHS Western Wisconsin Division. In 2010, she served as regional director of strategy and business development for the division. She led the development of a five-year strategic plan to clinically integrate medical group practices and master facility planning in collaboration with the senior executive team. She also administered a nationally recognized community health needs assessment process for the health care community in Western Wisconsin. In 2012, Oland became CEO of Rusk County Memorial Hospital and clinics in Ladysmith. Recently, Oland received her doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn

Larson Companies recently announced plans for an 81 all-suite, Candlewood Suites Hotel in Eau Claire.  Located just off Interstate 94, exit 68, the Candlewood Suites Hotel is expected to open in the fall of 2018. An investment of more than $8 million is being made to develop this new property. The facility will employ approximately 35 staff members ranging from hourly to management positions. The 46,000 square foot, Candlewood Suites being developed will be more efficient to build, operate and maintain. The Candlewood Suites Hotel is owned by a group led by Larson Companies, under a license agreement with. The project ownership group includes Richard Larson, Tim Pabich, Tim Olson and Tom Toy. The property will be managed by Larson Companies.
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Internationally recognized oncologist Scott H. Okuno, M.D., has been named medical director of the Oncology Department for Mayo Clinic Health System in northwest Wisconsin and Cancer Coordinating Committee chair for all of Mayo Clinic Health System. Okuno is board-certified in medical oncology, specializing in bone and soft tissue sarcomas. He serves as medical officer for the Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration, a group of institutions across the U.S. and Europe dedicated to clinical trials and research for sarcoma patients. He also is chairman of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology’s Audit Committee, which reviews and certifies the clinical trials programs of cancer centers across the U.S. Okuno is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Connective Tissue Oncology Society, and Midwest Sarcoma Trials Partnership. In addition, he is professor of Oncology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

Sarah E. James, M.D., a radiation oncologist, recently joined the Albert J. and Judith A. Dunlap Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. James received a doctorate in anatomy and cell biology and a medical degree from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She completed a residency in radiation oncology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her professional interests include symptom control innovations for cancer patients.
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Muhanad Mohamed, M.B.B.S., recently joined the Infectious Diseases Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Mohamed earned a medical degree from the University of Khartoum-Sudan. He earned a master of public health degree from the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis. Mohamed completed a residency in internal medicine at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York, and a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis. He is a diplomate and board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He also is a member of the American College of Physicians and Infectious Disease Society of America. His special interests include antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, HIV and tropical infectious diseases.

Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc., Northwest District announced that Amy Bauer and Tena Hoag will join its Board of Directors. Bauer, vice president of shared project services at Royal Credit Union, earned her business administration degree from UW-Stout and he r MBA from UW-Oshkosh. Hoag, chief financial officer at Advance Laser Machining, Inc. earned her undergraduate degree and MBA from UW-Eau Claire. In the years since then, she has been actively pursuing adventure across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Florida, with Jennie-O Turkey Store, McCain Foods, HJ Heinz, and Phillips Medisize. 

SDS Architects announced that Olivia Hammer, interior designer, has joined its team of architects and designers in Eau Claire. Hammer is a 2016 graduate of UW-Stout and has spent the past 18 months working for an architectural firm in the LaCrosse area. She has experience in designing commercial interiors, educational facilities, healthcare and more.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association’s foundation has announced that HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals’ “Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper Training” program is a recipient of the WHA Foundation’s 2017 Global Vision Community Partnership Award. This annual competitive grant award is presented to a community health initiative that successfully addresses a documented community health need. For three years, the two hospitals have been offering free sessions for anyone in the community who would like to learn how to recognize the warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide and how to help them. The training, called “QPR” for short, is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save a life. Within three years, more than 5,700 Chippewa Valley community members have been trained by colleagues at the two hospitals how to identify and refer their friends, family, coworkers to appropriate mental health resources when they needed it most.