2 hospitals, 19 clinics in western Wisconsin set to close this spring
WASHINGTON — Western Wisconsin residents are on the verge of losing many of their local health care facilities, sending lawmakers into panic mode.
Wisconsin Congressman Derrick Van Orden, R-Eau Claire, sent a letter to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers Monday to call for state and federal resources to cushion the blow from the upcoming closures of hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls operated by the Hospital Sisters Health System's Sacred Heart (HSHS), and Prevea Health's 19 facilities across the Chippewa Valley.
"Rural communities, like those in the Third Congressional District, are continuously left on the sidelines when it comes to accessible healthcare, and these hospital closures will only make it more difficult for Wisconsinites to get the medical care they need," Van Orden said in his letter.
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Van Orden says the closures will result in the loss of 1,400 jobs in the region and the loss of local health care options for thousands of rural residents and families.
The closures will also result in the loss of two emergency rooms; EMS services; 100-plus hospital beds, 15 of which are in critical care units; a cancer center that's currently serving 100 patients; western Wisconsin's only inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit; a wound care clinic with hyperbaric capabilities; a birthing center serving hundreds of pregnant women; and a dialysis treatment center.
Van Orden says the closures "present a threat to public health and safety in the community," since other area hospitals are already at or near capacity.
HSHS officials say the hospitals are expected to close by the end of March, while Prevea Health's 19 clinics will close by the end of April.
"Like many health systems, we have had to grapple with the lingering impacts of the pandemic, the effects of inflation, workforce challenges and other industry-wide trends," officials wrote on HSHS's website. "As a result of these persistent operational challengers and after thorough consideration, we have made the difficult yet necessary decision to exit the Western Wisconsin region and focus our efforts on our Eastern Wisconsin and Illinois operations."
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Evers addressed the closures on Wednesday, according to the La Crosse Tribune, at La Crosse's Western Techincal College.
"I'm a little frustrated in that we didn't get any heads up on that, nor did their employees," Evers said. "We can't be happy about what's going on here as part of the state. In Eau Claire and the area north, people aren't getting the services they need."
Evers told the La Crosse Tribune he partially blames Wisconsin lawmakers for failing to pass Medicaid expansion plans last legislative session.
HSHS officials urge patients to contact 888-307-7099 to discuss care plan options ahead of the closures. Click here for more information on HSHS's website.
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