WESTERN WISCONSIN – At the end of January, Prevea Health made the announcement that they would be closing their Western Wisconsin health centers as well as HSHS Sacred Heart in Eau Claire, and HSHS St. Joseph’s in Chippewa Falls. Citing lingering impacts of the pandemic, the effects of inflation, workforce challenges and other industry-wide trends, the group has chosen to pull out of Western Wisconsin and focus on the Eastern region instead.
The sudden announcement left many reeling. The impact of this closure at a glance would cause:
- 900+ expected women will need to find a new hospital to give birth in with HSHS closing its eight labor beds and seven post-partum beds
- 175+ wound care patients will not have the wound/hyperbaric clinic services required to heal
- 50+ dialysis patients will need to find new dialysis slots, and capacity at other local dialysis units is limited
- Over 100 cancer patients will need to find a new treatment home; other cancer care centers in the region are currently operating at or near capacity;
- 20+ inpatient psychiatry hospital beds including the only adolescent unit in the region; and
- many others
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