Gov. Evers Supports U.S. Sen Baldwin’s “HSHS Act” Aimed at Protecting Communities from Abrupt Hospital Closures

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced his support for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s (D-Wisconsin) “Hospital Stability and Health Services Act” (“HSHS Act”) and thanked her for introducing the legislation, which is aimed at protecting communities from abrupt hospital closures that interrupt care and leave patients without access to the essential services they need to stay healthy. As introduced by Sen. Baldwin, the “HSHS Act” would require closing hospital systems to notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and develop a plan with public input to connect patients with accessible care.

The new legislation comes as Gov. Evers has spent months urging Republican lawmakers to release $15 million in crisis response resources for Western Wisconsin that were approved now nearly 150 days ago. Republican lawmakers on the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance have refused to release the funds for over four months, despite the closures having been estimated contemporaneously to impact approximately 1,400 workers, among others, in the surrounding region. The investments continue to languish in Madison as Republican lawmakers continue to obstruct and delay critical funding to address pressing challenges facing Wisconsin.

“While it’s unfortunate Republican lawmakers are continuing to hold up the $15 million for the Chippewa Valley that I approved in February, I’m grateful Sen. Baldwin is working at the federal level to make sure Wisconsin patients aren’t left in the lurch and patients and communities are protected from abrupt hospital closures like the ones that happened in Western Wisconsin,” said Gov. Evers. “The ‘HSHS Act’ will go a long way in making sure there is transparency and that folks can find and have access to the care they need if and when a hospital announces a closure.”

“For too many Wisconsin families, especially in our rural communities, health care is already a struggle to get. That’s why when hospitals like HSHS close with little to no notice for their patients, Wisconsinites are left out to dry and with no options to find the sometimes lifesaving care they need,” said Sen. Baldwin. “If a big hospital is going to shut down in one of our communities, they should help ensure patients don’t slip through the cracks when they are gone. This legislation will help ensure those big hospital systems put their patients before profits and give Wisconsin families what they deserve: peace of mind that they will have access to the care they and their families need to stay healthy.”

In addition to severely impacting healthcare access in the area, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the closures have been estimated to impact approximately 1,400 workers, among others, in the surrounding region. On February 12, Sen. Baldwin penned a letter to Hospital Sisters Health System asking them to do right by their patients, employees, and community members as they close hospitals and healthcare facilities across Western Wisconsin.

According to Sen. Baldwin, the “HSHS Act” would require hospitals that are closing or eliminating service to notify HHS and allow HHS to request a mitigation plan to ensure patients can still access the care they need. The legislation requires hospitals to notify HHS at least 90 days prior to the discontinuation of services or a full hospital closure. During the notification period, hospitals are prohibited from discontinuing essential services unless continuing to provide the service would be dangerous to patients or employees.

The legislation continues that if HHS determines that the closure would negatively affect access to care, the hospital must submit a plan to HHS that outlines how they will maintain essential services for the community through partnerships with surrounding facilities, including patient transportation plans, and support the transition of healthcare employees to other positions. This mitigation plan would be available for public comment to ensure community input, and the agency can work with the hospital to develop an alternative plan should the original proposal be insufficient. The bill will also require a report every two years to Congress on hospital closure trends and the capacity of the healthcare system to meet surge demands.

Full text of Sen. Baldwin’s legislation is available here.

EFFORTS BY THE EVERS ADMINISTRATION TO SECURE $15 MILLION TO STABILIZE HEALTHCARE ACCESS IN WESTERN WISCONSIN

• In January, HSHS and Prevea Health announced their decision to close several locations across Western Wisconsin.
• On February 5, the Evers Administration launched a rapid response effort to support local workers and community members affected by the announcement.
• On February 28, Gov. Evers approved SB 1015, now 2023 Wisconsin Act 97, securing $15 million in crisis response resources to support healthcare access in Western Wisconsin in the wake of HSHS and Prevea Health’s decision to close several locations.
• In March, nearly three weeks after signing Act 97 and on the heels of HSHS announcing its plans to close HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls approximately a month earlier than had previously been announced, Gov. Evers visited healthcare providers in Western Wisconsin to call on Republicans to release the $15 million in funds.
• In April, Gov. Evers announced he was calling the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance into a special meeting to press Republican legislators to expeditiously release $140 million in already-approved funding to fight PFAS statewide and stabilize healthcare access in Western Wisconsin.
• On April 16, Republican lawmakers on the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance no-showed the governor’s special meeting, obstructing efforts to release critical funding for efforts to address PFAS contamination statewide and crisis response resources to help stabilize healthcare access in Western Wisconsin.
• On May 6, Gov. Evers again called the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance into a second special meeting to coincide with an existing committee meeting Republican members had themselves already scheduled. Republican committee members declined to participate in the special meeting, leaving the committee hearing without taking any action on the governor’s request to release $125 million to fight PFAS statewide and $15 million to stabilize healthcare access in Western Wisconsin.
• On May 13, Gov. Evers sued the Wisconsin State Legislature over its refusal to release a critical investment aimed at improving K-12 student literacy, one of many investments intended to respond to pressing challenges facing Wisconsin. The move came as Republican lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Finance refuse to release nearly $200 million in already-approved investments, including $125 million to fight PFAS contaminants statewide, nearly $50 million to help improve K-12 student reading outcomes, and $15 million in crisis response resources to respond to hospital closures in Western Wisconsin.

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.

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