Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from around the tri-states each Tuesday. This week, we highlight developments in Dubuque, Stockton, Ill., and Platteville, Wis.

A new medical facility in Stockton is bringing a variety of health care services closer to Jo Daviess County residents.

FHN opened a facility at 600 N. Rush St. on June 1, according to Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Kathryn Martinez. The facility offers primary and urgent care services.

FHN previously operated out of a smaller facility in Stockton, but Martinez noted the new one features an expanded footprint and also allows for additional services.

Martinez said FHN now can conduct medical imaging services, meaning patients don’t have to travel out of town for services such as an X-ray. With its new building, FHN also offers enhanced behavioral health services and brings specialists in areas such as cardiology and gastroenterology on site.

The new facility was designed with the patient experience in mind, according to Martinez.

“We have a lot of natural light and very calming colors,” she said. “It’s all meant to be very homelike. We don’t want it to feel like you’re walking into a medical building.”

Martinez believes that Stockton is an ideal location to build upon FHN’s existing presence, noting that the community is geographically positioned to serve residents from across the county.

“We want to make sure the needs of our community are met across the board,” she said. “If you or a loved one needs to seek care, it is important they can get it in a reasonable time frame and not have to drive 35 or 45 minutes.”

The facility is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, although Martinez emphasized that officials hope to expand those hours. It can be reached at 815-947-3211.

RAISING A GLASS

A Dubuque funeral home is offering a new way to honor loved ones.

Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home and Crematory, 2659 John F. Kennedy Road, recently rolled out the “Farewell Toast Visitation,” a package complete with wine, beer and catering services.

“Over the years, we have heard from people more and more often that they want to get away from the traditional way of doing a visitation,” said owner Tom Siegert. “They want it to be more of a celebration. So, that’s what we decided to do.”

The funeral home hosted its first such visitation last week in honor of Dubuque resident George Coe. His widow, Fernanda Kramer, said the gathering was “intimate, informal and also very warm.”

“It felt like the opposite of a usual service, where the whole family gets in a receiving line,” she said. “People felt more like getting together to tell stories and remember George.”

Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home alters its furniture to match that conversational vibe, removing folding chairs and instead setting out pub tables where guests can convene and swap stories.

The funeral home obtained a liquor license prior to rolling out the new type of visitation.

It previously allowed clients to bring their own alcoholic beverages to visitations. Under the new arrangement, however, staff serves customers from behind a portable bar. This creates an added convenience for those at the visitation and allows Siegert’s staff to makes sure the funeral home is following necessary rules and regulations.

Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home and Crematory can be reached at 563-556-0776.

CREDIT UNION EXPANDS

A Dubuque-based credit union has completed a sizable expansion in southwest Wisconsin.

Dupaco Community Credit Union recently moved back into a newly expanded branch in Platteville, according to Chief Marketing Officer David Klavitter. The property, located at 1100 Business U.S. 151, now spans more than 7,600 square feet — roughly double its size prior to the expansion.

Klavitter framed the $3 million project as a necessary move amid continued growth in that market.

“We were bursting at the seams,” he said. “We wanted to be able to accommodate more members there, and we also wanted to take some new ideas that we’ve learned elsewhere and incorporate them into this branch.”

New technology is abundant, including a pair of new video teller machines and an interactive screen in each office that aims to enhance interactions between employees and members.

Borrowing an idea already used at a Dupaco location in Dubuque’s Millwork District, the Platteville location also boasts a touch screen in the lobby.

“It is a self-serve educational tool,” Klavitter explained. “It has a lot of games on it, and it helps support our mission, which is helping members figure out their money.”

The new location also offers one additional conference room, six new private offices and two new public offices.

During construction, the credit union’s drive-thru remained open. Dupaco temporarily utilized a neighboring building for appointments such as loan closings, account openings and other face-to-face member services while its lobby was closed.

Dupaco Community Credit Union was founded in 1948 by 10 employees from the Dubuque Packing Co. It now has more than 135,000 members.

The Platteville branch can be reached at 608-348-4499.