CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — There was a heroes send-off across the border in western Wisconsin on Thursday.
The public showed up to show their support for hundreds of employees losing their jobs at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph's Hospital in Chippewa Falls, both of which will permanently close on Friday.
The announcement shocked not only the community, but also the people who work at the hospitals. Some employees told KARE 11 they found out about the change in January, and at first, the hospitals announced they would close April 21.
Then, in an updated news release, ownership wrote, "Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), a faith-based health system with operations in Illinois and Wisconsin... will complete its wind-down of operations and permanently close HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire on March 22, 2024. This is the same date HSHS announced it would permanently close HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls. Both closures are a result of the system’s exit from the Western Wisconsin region."
"I wasn't quite sure what to think," said the hospital's emergency room director, Robin Schultz. "As a leader, you want to protect and take care of your family and for me, that was my first concern and my second immediate concern was the community."
HSHS said the decision comes after prolonged operational and financial stress related to lingering impacts of the pandemic, inflation, workforce constraints, local market challenges and other industry-wide trends.
Schultz said the hospitals, about a 25-minute drive apart, stopped admitting patients a few weeks ago. The closures will now more than double drive times and put pressure on the two other hospitals in Eau Claire that are already at capacity.
"It just keeps escalating and the problem grows bigger as the issue unfolds," said Schultz, whose husband is also the city's EMS deputy chief. And despite nearly 30 years on the job, he also never saw this news coming.
"It was a bomb that was dropped," said Jon Schultz. "Our biggest impact at this point is going to be our turn around time."
The move means Jon had to find another hospital to provide his department training, medications and supplies. There are seven ambulances that run on about 11,000 calls every year.
"Our closest one from here, we can go to Menomonie or we can go to Osseo if we had to and that's going to add an hour, hour and a half to our trip," said Jon.
This is a persistent problem playing out across the country. According to the American Hospital Association, there were 136 rural hospital closures from 2010 to 2021, as well as a record 19 closures in 2020 alone. More than 600 rural hospitals, or 30% of all rural hospitals in the country, are at risk of closing, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, because they do not have adequate revenue to cover the cost of the care provided.
In western Wisconsin, the community isn't just losing an emergency room. The closures mean it won't have local access to labor and delivery, surgery, drug and alcohol treatment and even chemotherapy. Robin said there are 400 cancer patients in active treatment right now that have to find clinics elsewhere, sometimes two to three hours away.
The closures impact approximately 1,082 HSHS employees, including Robin - who will all lose their jobs. Her husband was planning to retire this summer, but now they'll reassess what to do next.
"I think that will be one of the hardest things to walk away from that, but knowing he's still doing what he loves, we'll be fine," said Robin.
HSHS says that all impacted colleagues previously received legally required notices related to the ultimate closure of the facilities and it will provide severance and career transition assistance.
"We'll get by, the hospitals will get by, they don't have any other choice," said Jon.
Prevea Health, a physician network offering primary and specialty care, will also close all its locations across western Wisconsin. But HSHS and Prevea say that its locations outside of that region are unaffected and operating as usual.
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