Ascension Wisconsin planned service cuts; Milwaukee alderman concerned
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee alderman raises major worries about Ascension Wisconsin's planned cuts to services. On Thursday, Dec. 5, Milwaukee's fire chief will lay out some of the concerns.
FOX6 News has reported on these cuts before. But now, Alderman DiAndre Jackson and Fire Chief Aaron Lipski are weighing in. Jackson says extra travel time to get needed care will be "the difference between life and death." He said some patients will have an extra 15 to 30 minutes of drive time.
Alderman Jackson said Ascension will close the cath lab for cardiac patients at St. Joseph's Hospital on the north side. He said that means patients will have to be transported more than five miles away to hospitals that will still have them – Froedtert, St. Mary's or Aurora-Grafton.
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Jackson added, the change will mean 115,000 residents will no longer be within a 15-minute drive of a cath lab for cardiac patients.
A cath lab is an area where doctors can diagnose and treat heart conditions.
"Think of a tire that's flat. You can only go so far on a flat tire," said Ericka Sinclair, Health Connections Inc. "You're not going to make it without your rims being damaged. So, it's a very simliar situation in that respect, except this is a whole person. And that is a person that can literally die because they don't have access to what they need within the distance, which needs to be short for someone who has a heart condition, heart disease."
Ascension is already eliminating its cath labs at St. Francis Hospital on Milwaukee's south side.
In a news release, Alderman Jackson said, "Cardiac cath labs are crucial for providing health services to those suffering heart attacks and cardiac arrest. The closing of the cath lab at St. Joseph’s means that patients will have to be transported to Froedtert, St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee, and Aurora Grafton when suffering one of these cardiac events."
Community leaders, including the Milwaukee Black Grassroots Network for Health Equity, say they are worried.
"At a time where cardiovascular disease continues to kill Milwaukeeans, Wisconsinites and Americans, this is a horrible decision. Our community deserves to have quality health care facilities to meet our growing health care challenges. So, it’s disappointing once again. But in Milwaukee, we are losing health care access to critical services that are so important for persons in our community," said Quinton Cotton, MKE Black Grassroots Network for Health Equity.
An Ascension spokesperson did not respond to a FOX6 News request for an interview. But in a November email, a spokesperson said the company is making "significant investments" in southeast Wisconsin – to have broad access to things like primary care and then to concentrate specialized care.
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Ascension said it will invest $10 million in St. Francis Hospital to add 60 in-patient beds for behavioral health.
Ascension Wisconsin also said it operates more 24/7 cath labs than any other health care system in southeast Wisconsin – and will expand that service at its Franklin hospital.