Keep Next Door Pediatrics Open

Children’s Hospital Wisconsin announced that effective December 8th, 2023, it would be closing the Next Door Pediatrics-Children’s Clinic on N. 29th St. This decision has profoundly negative consequences on the most economically disenfranchised communities in Milwaukee, and will only further exacerbate already existing inequitable healthcare amongst these populations. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has a wealth of other options available to it that do not further disenfranchise communities in need of quality medical care.

Next Door Pediatrics-Children’s Wisconsin is a highly regarded clinic and is the nearest for families in neighborhoods of extreme poverty. Its closure would create a medical desert. Approximately 95% of the clinic’s patients use Medicaid insurance and reside in zip codes that represent the worst health outcomes in the city, including maternal/infant mortality, prematurity, lead toxicity, and asthma. Childhood lead poisoning rates in these zip codes are the highest in Milwaukee. The infant mortality rate in the 53206 zip code is 29.1%, higher than Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador. Given these and other harsh realities, we would expect Children’s Wisconsin to intensify its medical services to children in the community especially given its motto “Kids deserve the best.” Instead, the impending clinic closure is an abandonment of children in need.

Children’s Hospital Wisconsin has stated they will work to connect existing patients of the clinic with other facilities to assure continuity of care. It is clear however; Children’s Hospital is blind to the economic, transportation, financial, and other realities families in these communities face. It is not simply a matter of transferring a child’s care. There are many considerations families have to take into consideration in accessing healthcare for their children, and both transportation and time commitment are highly important in those decision-making processes.

The communities most impacted by this near-sighted decision by Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin have strongly opposed this action, and urged for reconsideration of this drastic measure. Acting prematurely without a clear path through which to assure individuals will not be left without care is irresponsible and reflects a disregard for our communities. It shows Children’s Hospital is far more concerned with cost than it is in serving those communities who are most frequently those without access to meaningful, quality, and comprehensive healthcare.

We are calling upon Children’s Hospital to halt its decision, to meet with members of the community and other external stakeholders, and to begin the process of devising a strategic plan that assures Next Door Pediatrics remains a central resource for the communities in this district.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.