Month: February 2012

Up to 900 students in the Madison School District don't have health insurance, but half of them get free basic care from the city's medical providers. Through Primary Access for Kids, which started in May 2010, about 450 uninsured children receive check-ups, immunizations and medications at clinics assigned to each school. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 2/13)

Nick Turkal, chief executive of Aurora Health Care, has sent a sharply worded letter to city officials accusing Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare of hypocrisy and of "playing fast and loose with key facts" about pending changes at Aurora Sinai Medical Center. In the two-page letter sent Thursday to Milwaukee Ald. Michael Murphy, Turkal said that Aurora planned to keep Aurora Sinai open and would announce its plans in the next 60 days. "We are respectfully requesting that you and fellow members of the Common Council and Mayor Barrett trust that Aurora will do the right thing and convey this information in encounters you might have with Wheaton leadership," Turkal wrote. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/13)

In an exclusive interview with Wisconsin Health News, Department of Health Services deputy secretary Kitty Rhoades talks about Family Care. (WHN, 2/10)

Aurora Health Care believes the massive financial hit Sinai Medical Center has taken in recent years is, in part, a result of decisions made by competitor Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, and its decision to close St. Michael Hospital in 2006. (BUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/10)

Cost-saving measures proposed by Gov. Scott Walker's administration to Family Care programs for frail elderly and people with disabilities are coming under fire by critics who say the changes could hurt those the program is meant to help. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/10)

When Aurora Health Care officials first announced a change was needed at Sinai Medical Center, they set the deadline for the end of the year. That has since been moved up to 60 days from now. “The elements of the plan are coming together, so this factor, along with the fact that we are keenly aware of the continuing erosion of the hospital’s finances, suggest that an earlier date is feasible and preferred," Michael Brophy, systems spokesman said in an e-mailed response about the change. (MILWAUKEE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/9)

Affinity Health System will retain its position as one of the Fox Cities' largest employers for the foreseeable future. While Affinity's ownership change Wednesday was a big move, it didn't include any changes in staffing among its 4,000 employees or the way it delivers care to about 400,000 people in the Fox Valley. (APPLETON POST CRESCENT, 2/9)