Wisconsin lawmakers and health systems are working to ensure that patient care does not falter ahead of the planned closure of two Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System hospitals and regional clinics it operates with Green Bay, Wis.-based Prevea Health.
Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus Health recently shared it is ramping up care access at its locations closest to communities impacted by the closure.
Chippewa Falls, Wis.-based St. Joseph's Hospital is expected to close on or before March 22, Eau Claire, Wis.-based Sacred Heart Hospital is expected to close on or before April 21 and the health centers are expected to shut down on or before June 30.
"We understand how important it is for people to have excellent, compassionate health care when they need it," Matthew Heywood, president and CEO of Aspirus Health, said in a news release shared with Becker's. "We serve communities along the eastern edge of the Chippewa Valley and are moving quickly to safely increase our capacity to support patients seeking health care services."
In an effort to tackle the expected increase of new patients following the closures, Aspirus is adding six inpatient beds and increasing surgical capacity at its Aspirus Stanley (Wis.) Hospital; adding eight inpatient beds at its Aspirus Medford (Wis.) Hospital; increasing recruitment efforts; enhancing resources at its Wausau, Wis.-based tertiary care center, along with other regional hospitals; and building added ancillary service capacity in its hospitals and clinics, like lab, imaging and wound care, according to the release.
The nonprofit health system is also near finalization of its affiliation with Duluth, Minn.-based St. Luke's, which would further care access expansion in the regions impacted by the closures. The two systems hope to wrap up their affiliation in the next few weeks pending final regulatory approvals, the release said.
News of Aspirus' care access plans comes as Wisconsin lawmakers are also working to ensure patients are taken care of in light of the closures.
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin recently expressed her disappointment in the "abrupt announcement" of the hospital and clinic closures to HSHS CEO Damond Boatwright in a Feb. 12 letter.
Ms. Baldwin urged the system to "make every effort to support the continuation of care, particularly as stakeholders and neighbors work together to fill the gap [the system is] leaving behind."
In two recently proposed bills, Wisconsin legislators are also working to use the $15 million originally set aside for HSHS psychiatric bed space expansion in 2021 to protect emergency department services in the communities impacted by the closures, Wisconsin Public Radio reported Feb. 13.
SB 1015, which was introduced on Feb. 9, would transfer the funds from the state building trust fund to the general fund, using them as grants to "support hospital emergency department services."
SB 1014, also introduced on Feb. 9, would ensure the $15 million in grants would fund health systems that "commit to providing hospital emergency department services in Chippewa County or Eau Claire County."
"It's a longer term issue that will take both an immediate response, which we're appreciative of for this bill, as well as medium- and long-term responses and issues such as a funding model for health care, especially for those on Medicaid or Medicare," Steve Nick, city attorney for Eau Claire, told the Wisconsin Public Radio.