‘Gut-wrenching:’ HSHS’ planned departure from western Wisconsin stuns community leaders
The decision by Hospital Sisters Health System and Prevea Health to depart western Wisconsin stunned community leaders, who are working on how to address the situation.
HSHS said Monday it will close Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls on or before April 21.
Prevea Health, a physician group that works with HSHS, is also exiting western Wisconsin. Seventeen of its 19 clinics in the area will close on or before April 21, with two residency clinics shutting down on or before June 30. HSHS and Prevea are maintaining their presence in eastern Wisconsin.
The two organizations made the decision following operational and financial stress due to a variety of factors, including fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and workforce challenges.
St. Joseph’s is the sole hospital in Chippewa Falls, a city of about 15,000 people. Sacred Heart is one of three hospitals in Eau Claire, and additional hospitals are nearby in Altoona and Bloomer. HSHS hospitals have been providing care in the area since the 1880s.
St. Joseph’s suspended surgical services last fall due to operational and staffing challenges.
Chippewa Falls Mayor Greg Hoffman said he knew that HSHS was considering the facility’s future as it had moved many services to Sacred Heart and left St. Joseph’s primarily an urgent and emergency care facility, a necessity for a city with a strong manufacturing industry.
Hoffman expressed concern about how the closure could impact those needing emergency care, given longer travel times for people to receive it.
While Hoffman believes there may be a way to address St. Joseph’s closure by working with local clinics, he’s unsure about Sacred Heart.
“I’m frustrated,” he said. “I was not expecting Prevea and Sacred Heart to go out. That really has a huge effect on us, and I’m not sure how we overcome that.”
Rep. Rob Summerfield, R-Bloomer, said the decision “completely blindsided” him. He called it “gut-wrenching.”
“Everybody was shocked,” he said.
Rep. Karen Hurd, R-Fall Creek, cried when she heard the news. She went to St. Joseph’s many times when her mother was in a memory care center in Chippewa Falls.
The decision impacts more than 1,400 HSHS and Prevea employees.
“This just breaks my heart,” she said.
Sen. Jesse James, R-Altoona, said the closures will tax the Chippewa Valley’s healthcare system.
“Where are these people going to go?” he said. “What’s it going to look like?”
HSHS’ decision didn’t surprise him in part because the health system was unable to expand mental health beds in western Wisconsin, despite the state offering $15 million for the effort. He also cited challenges facing health systems.
“The writing was already on the wall,” James said. “Healthcare in our state and nation is under definite constraints.”
James, who chairs the Senate’s committee on mental health, is also concerned about the loss of mental health inpatient beds as well as the L.E. Phillips Libertas Treatment Center in Chippewa Falls, which offers substance use disorder treatment.
He compared the situation to the closure of the Uniroyal tire plant in Eau Claire in 1992, when 600 lost their jobs. He said that was “devastating” for the region.
James encouraged folks to speak up about the impacts and possible actions that could help.
“Having the discussion I think is extremely important because right now people want to talk, they want to vent, they are ticked off and they need to be heard,” he said.
Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge said the decision “sent and continues to send shockwaves through our community.”
“Almost everyone in Eau Claire probably has a connection, either they know someone that works there or they visited,” she said.
Berge said they’re working to convene people and put information out about the closures.
“There is uncertainty and worry about what the future holds,” she wrote in a letter to residents this week. “My heart goes out to all those impacted in northwest Wisconsin.”
Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, said he was born at Sacred Heart. His children were born there too.
“I understand the impact this will have on our communities,” he said in a statement. “I’m hopeful for everyone in the healthcare community to pitch in and provide the healthcare continuity for those who need medical assistance and are searching for other options after the closure occurs.”
“With these changes to health services in Western Wisconsin, the Chippewa Valley is fortunate to have multiple medical centers that will continue to support our community, and I have faith that the patients of HSHS will be taken care of,” said Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, said rural communities are “continuously left on the sidelines” when it comes to healthcare.
“I am working closely with Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls officials to help folks maintain their access to care through alternative sites, including telehealth, and make sure that rural Wisconsin is not forgotten about,” he said in a statement.
HSHS and Prevea said Wednesday that they have been in touch with area providers so they can safely transition patient care plans. They’ve also released information to help patients navigate the changes.
Marshfield Clinic Interim CEO Dr. Brian Hoerneman said the closure of the hospitals and clinics is further evidence that providing rural healthcare is increasingly challenging.
“We are using our staffing resources as efficiently and effectively as possible to make sure they are where it’s needed most and can have the greatest impact on patients,” he said. “Healthcare as a national industry is facing many challenges, but we are confident the changes we are making will strengthen our organization so that we can best serve patients in western Wisconsin for years to come.”
Mayo Clinic said in a statement that they’re considering how the announcement will affect their services.
Doug Peterson, CEO of AdventHealth Durand, which is located about 30 miles from Eau Claire, said the news “shocked and saddened him.”
He was surprised HSHS couldn’t find a partner or buyer for their locations. HSHS CEO Damond Boatwright said Monday that an “agreement with a suitable partner did not work out.”
“I do anticipate that other healthcare providers will be able to meet the patient demands,” Peterson wrote in an email. “In the meantime, we will have one less system to connect with for patient referrals.”
Encompass Health, a national provider of post-acute care, found out Monday about HSHS’ decision. The Alabama-based company opened a hospital, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Western Wisconsin, within Sacred Heart last March. It’s a joint venture between the two organizations.
”Encompass Health is evaluating the situation, including the operational effect of HSHS Sacred Heart’s announcement,” they said in a statement. “We will provide updates as possible.”
HSHS said in response that they’re committed to providing “care to our patients and communities as we thoughtfully and safely wind-down services.”
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has a history of working with HSHS, according to Kristen Abbott-Anderson, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
“We extend our care to those employees and patients that are most significantly impacted by this closure,” she said in a statement. “We are diligently working on making other arrangements for our students, but it is too early to say exactly how that will be accomplished.”
Wisconsin Hospital Association CEO Eric Borgerding said the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact health systems, accelerating challenges they were already facing. Those issues include workforce shortages, changing demographics and an increased reliance on them to provide more and more of the social and public health safety net, particularly around mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
On top of that, providers are grappling with inflation, downward pressure on reimbursement and challenging market environments. Despite challenges, Wisconsin hospitals are delivering some of the highest rated care in the country, he noted.
“The underlying issues are here to stay for the near to mid-future and can’t be ignored,” he said.
Hoffman, the Chippewa Falls mayor, said that the Chippewa Valley is a destination for people seeking medical care, attracting folks from throughout northern Wisconsin
“This has a huge impact on a large part of the state,” he said. “It’s more than just the Chippewa area and Eau Claire having to figure out what they’re going to do. I would hope that there would be something that would come out of Madison, something may be out of Washington, that we could start looking at.”
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