Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has approved Senate bill 1015, now known as 2023 Wisconsin Act 97, which will secure $15 million in crisis response funding to help provide care access in Western Wisconsin amid the planned closure of two Hospital Sisters Health System hospitals and regional clinics it operates with Green Bay, Wis.-based Prevea Health.
The act was approved by Mr. Evers with improvements through line-item vetoes which give added flexibility to the investment funding. The flexibility allows the funding to help hospital services meet healthcare needs like OB-GYN, urgent care, inpatient psychiatry, and mental health substance use in the areas affected, according to a Feb. 28 news release.
Mr. Evers has also directed the state Department of Health Services to submit an official request to the Wisconsin State Legislature's Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance to release the $15 million immediately under the act.
"I'm urging Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance to approve the department's request quickly to ensure these resources are immediately available to help stabilize and support healthcare access across the Chippewa Valley region, and to do so without delay," Mr. Evers said in the release. "This investment will go a long way in helping address the very real and pressing healthcare access concerns facing Western Wisconsin, and it is critically important that we get this funding out the door to folks who need it."
Should the committee approve the DHS request, a grant application process will be conducted regarding the funding for eligible hospitals and hospital services who meet specific criteria.