- Two hospitals and 19 clinics are scheduled to close in western Wisconsin, raising concerns among residents about the impact on local health services.
- HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital and HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital, along with 19 Prevea Health clinics, will permanently close by April 21st.
- HSHS and Prevea Health cited long-term operational and financial stresses, including the lingering effects of the pandemic.
Two hospitals and nearly 20 clinics in western Wisconsin are scheduled to close in the coming months, leaving residents and local officials concerned about how the closures will affect local health care services.
Hospital Sisters Health System and Prevea Health announced Monday that they will permanently close HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and HSHS St. Joseph Hospital in Chippewa Falls by April 21.
All 19 Prevaa Health clinics in western Wisconsin will also close, and most of them, as well as the HSHS-operated treatment center in Chippewa Falls, are scheduled to close by April 21, a Prevaa Health spokesperson said. Angela Deja said.
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The closure will affect 1,082 HSHS and 325 Prevea employees and will result in the health care provider's “complete exit from the western Wisconsin region,” according to a news release.
A hospital scene is seen on June 16, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Two hospitals and nearly 20 clinics are scheduled to close in the coming months in western Wisconsin, and residents are concerned about how the closures will affect local health care services. (Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
HSHS and Prevea Health, a physician network providing primary and specialty care, say they have begun a thorough and organized process to safely reduce services and transfer patient care to other providers. Stated.
But Chippewa Falls resident Rick Flynn said he worries Eau Claire's remaining hospital will become overwhelmed trying to absorb all of the Chippewa Valley's emergency services and daily medical needs.
“I'm concerned about the capacity of those hospitals. I'm also concerned about our fire department. People need ambulances, but paramedics are running to Eau Claire every five minutes, so it's hard for them to get there. I can't do that.'' What will happen? ” Flynn told the La Crosse Tribune.
HSHS and Prevea said prolonged operational and financial stresses related to the lingering effects of the pandemic, inflation, workforce constraints and other industry-wide trends contributed to the closure.
Chippewa Falls Mayor Greg Hoffman said in a news release that he was disappointed to learn of the closure. He said health care workers have not contacted his office about the impending closure.
“I understand that the world is becoming more difficult today with things like the aging baby boomer generation. But we need to understand this,” Hoffman said.
