Save Milwaukee Healthcare Coalition Forms After 1-year Anniversary of St. Francis Hospital Labor and Delivery Unit Closure, Next Door Pediatrics’s Sudden Closure

[Milwaukee, WI] – At 2pm on Friday, December 29, 2023, the Save Milwaukee Healthcare Coalition will be rallying and holding a press conference at the intersection of 27th St and Oklahoma Ave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin to commemorate the 1-year closing of the Labor and Delivery unit at St. Francis Hospital and bring attention to the very recent closing of Next Door Pediatrics – Children’s Wisconsin.

On December 23, 2022, the Labor and Delivery Unit at St. Francis Hospital unexpectedly closed, leaving the Milwaukee Southside with a healthcare desert for maternal care. Now, only 3 hospitals in the entire county of Milwaukee offer Labor and Delivery services, and none are located on the south side of Milwaukee, where some of the highest maternal birth mortality rates are reported.

This trend of lacking healthcare in certain parts of the city was only exacerbated more by the sudden closure of Next Door Pediatrics Clinic – Children’s Wisconsin, which served thousands of children and families who use Medicaid on the north side of Milwaukee. This unexpected closure leaves parents in the dust when it comes to accessible health services, with many not having adequate transportation to other alternative clinics across the county, or not being able to find providers that accept Medicaid.

The Save Milwaukee Healthcare Coalition (SMHC) formed in response to this, with efforts from the Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee (RJA-M), The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR), and the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. These organizations are all united on bringing health care back to the populations of Milwaukee, and removing the hurdles so many Milwaukeeans encounter when trying to receive basic care. The Coalition recognizes there is a lot of work to be done for families who deserve healthcare with restoration of services, and that people need to come before profit in the healthcare industry.

SMHC is a grassroots coalition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We are fighting for restoration of basic healthcare services to Milwaukee’s underserved populations and standing in opposition of the system(s) that deny human rights to any person. Formed after the closing of Next Door Pediatrics and St. Francis Hospital Labor and Delivery Unit, SMHC is committed to insisting that the city of Milwaukee gives its firm support to all those seeking equitable healthcare.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.