Meadowbrook at Oconto Falls opens dedicated hospice wing

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

July 13, 2026

OCONTO FALLS – Unity Hospice – Northeast Wisconsin’s nonprofit hospice and palliative care provider – has partnered with Meadowbrook at Oconto Falls to open a dedicated hospice wing designed to expand end-of-life care options in the region.

Located at 100 E. Highland Drive in Oconto Falls, Chris Pryor – chief marketing officer for Synergy Senior Care, the senior leadership group that oversees the various Meadowbrook locations throughout the State of Wisconsin – said the Unity Sunset Wing provides around-the-clock hospice care in a homelike setting, along with short-term respite support for caregivers. 

Pryor said the wing provides medical care alongside emotional, spiritual and grief support for patients and families.

“Meadowbrook has more than 70 clinical team members, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants,” he said. “Each team member has completed specialized hospice training and education provided by Unity and will continue to receive quarterly education to strengthen and expand their expertise in end-of-life care.”

In addition, Pryor said the partnership with Unity ensures that dedicated hospice care team members are available every day, “providing specialized support and compassionate care for our residents and their families.”

The Unity Sunset Wing at Meadowbrook, he said, includes 12 beds, four of which are private rooms overlooking the Oconto Falls Pond. 

Pryor said the remaining rooms are semi-private but spacious and designed to provide comfort and a meaningful level of privacy.

Other amenities offered, he said, include three freshly prepared meals each day, as well as a family gathering area.

Visits from family, friends and pets, Pryor said, are welcome at any time.

Partnership paved the way

Pryor said the partnership between Unity, Meadowbrook at Oconto Falls and Synergy was a natural fit.

“Because of the number of things I’ve been able to do in the past, like creating some different ideas and finding amazing partners like Unity, we’ve been able to get to this point where we came together to create the Unity Sunset Wing at Meadowbrook,” he said.

Additionally, as one of the leading healthcare providers in Oconto County, Pryor said Meadowbrook is committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care to its communities.

The Sunset Wing, he said, was created with that commitment in mind.

“Our dedicated hospice wing reflects our ongoing mission to meet the evolving needs of the communities we serve,” he said. “Our team at Meadowbrook at Oconto Falls recognized the need for an additional layer of end-of-life support for our residents, which led to a partnership with Unity Hospice.”

Executive Director Alisa Gerke said Unity Hospice and Palliative Care has had a solid and strong partnership with Meadowbrook for many years.

“In the hospice world, and with skilled nursing facilities, you have to have a physically contracted legal arrangement between the two entities,” she said. “So, that’s been very long-standing.”

This new collaboration, Gerke said, emerged as a new way to strengthen that relationship. 

“This kind of elevates that commitment, that partnership, the collaboration to ensure there’s consistency of care – that there’s a true partnership when it comes to any sort of service recovery, access to care and sharing plans of care,” she said. 

Gerke said Meadowbrook has worked with multiple hospice organizations over the years, with Unity standing out as the longest-established provider in Wisconsin at nearly 50 years.

She said Unity also maintains the longest-standing partnership with Meadowbrook among its hospice collaborators. 

“Because of this longevity with Meadowbrook, we were tickled pink when they reached out to us initially and said… they would love to formalize our partnership,” she said. “From there, it was Chris and I leading the marching effort with our teams to get us to the point we’re at today.”

Gerke said additional plans are in place to ensure the collaboration continues to evolve and meet the needs of patients and families in the Greater Oconto Falls community. 

One of the greatest benefits of the partnership with Unity Hospice, Pryor said, is the flexibility it provides. 

“If a Meadowbrook resident or community member requires inpatient hospice care, Meadowbrook will be able to accommodate them, even if the dedicated hospice wing is at capacity,” he said. “In those situations, the Unity Hospice care team will provide the same compassionate, specialized hospice services, ensuring patients receive the care and support they need.”

Pryor and Gerke said evolving dynamics in health care are creating new partnership opportunities, and success with this venture could pave the way for similar efforts elsewhere. 

“This is something that doesn’t work in every area,” Pryor said. “Reason being, there are a lot of variables that go into any market when you’re looking into something like this.”

That being said, Pryor said he would be open to expanding similar collaborations with Unity in other markets, calling the experience “a great experience from day one” and noting that building something new has been especially energizing.

“There is a lot we’re learning right now, and the ability to expand elsewhere, ideally, will be there,” he said. “We just want to make sure we’re doing everything right, and it works for everyone.”

Echoing Pryor’s comments, Gerke said “this is like a roadmap we’re creating.”

“We’re going to learn through the highs and the lows,” she said. “But by making sure we’re doing everything right and to the best of our abilities, we’ll have a playbook that will help us be sustainable over time.”

Gerke said the partnership also helps strengthen the already established connection between the Unity and Meadowbrook teams.

“What does that strong partnership and connecting point yield?” she said. “It yields outstanding bedside care for that patient and family… Chris and his team, myself and my team – we are committed to ensuring that we are in lockstep, so as people are facing one of life’s most vulnerable times in their journey, they’re met with dignity, with compassion and with comfort. The best way to do that is to have the left hand and the right hand truly be connected. That is a visual Chris and I share.”

Wing already welcoming patients, their families

Gerke said the partnership between Meadowbrook and Unity began March 1, allowing care for residents to start immediately.

The full 12-bed wing, she said, officially opened June 1, and more than 15 patients and residents have been served in the first few months.

A ribbon-cutting celebration was held June 30 to mark the opening, drawing members of the Oconto Chamber of Commerce, healthcare leaders from partner organizations, local pharmacies and area churches. 

Both Pryor and Gerke said the turnout was encouraging.

“It shows this is something needed here, and the public not only supports it but welcomes it,” Gerke said.

So far, Pryor said the public’s response to this joint venture has been enthusiastic and encouraging.  

From her perspective, Gerke said collaboration between nursing homes and hospice providers is key to improving end-of-life care access.

“The hospice wing is a reflection of our unwavering commitment as a nonprofit hospice to respond to the needs of our communities and put people over profits,” she said.

Pryor said he reassures folks that even though there is great excitement about the new hospice wing, all their residents will continue to receive quality care and services from Meadowbrook staff. 

Meadowbrook’s partnership with Unity, Pryor said, enables hospice patients and families to receive “an extra layer of personalized support” from Unity nurses, social workers, chaplains and grief counselors.