PAY FOR OPERATING EXPENSES. TURNING TO HEALTH NEWS, TWO
HOSPITALS OF THE HOSPITALS SISTERS HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE
EAU CLAIRE AREA HAVE OFFICIALLY SHUT THEIR DOORS AS OF TODAY.
ONE WHO MONTH AHEAD OF THE ALREADY ABRUPT TIMELINE
ORIGINALLY ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY. AN ADDITIONAL 19 PREVEA HEALTH
CLINICS WILL CLOSE IN APRIL. AN HONOR WALK WAS HELD YESTERDAY
FRONT OF THE HOSPITAL TO COMMEMORATE THOSE IN THE
COMMUNITY LOSING THEIR JOBS. WE TURN TO DEMOCRATIC STATE
SENATOR JEFF SMITH OF BRUNSWICK FOR WHAT HAPPENS NOW.
AND SENATOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. >> SO, FIRST, THE SHOCK OF THE
ANNOUNCEMENT, THEN THE ANXIOUS ANTICIPATION OF THE HOSPITAL
CLOSURES, NOW REALITY. WHAT'S THIS REALITY LIKE IN THE
COMMUNITY? >> IT HAS BEEN SHOCKING.
WHEN THAT OCCURRED, PEOPLE WERE REALLY TAKEN BY SURPRISE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT
THAT A HOSPITAL SYSTEM COULD CLOSE WITHOUT WARNING OR ANY --
ANY SEEMING -- ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO TRY TO HELP PREVENT THAT FROM
HAPPENING, AND IT CAME AS QUITE A SHOCK.
>> SO FROM YOUR UNDERSTANDING, HOW BIG OF A JOB WAS IT TO
TRANSFER PATIENTS ELSEWHERE AND HAVE E.M.S. OR AMBULANCES
DIVERTED AND ALL THAT PERTAINS TO PATIENT CARE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IN ONLY TWO MONTHS TIME, 1,600 EMPLOYEES ARE
OUT OF A JOB, PATIENTS HAVE HAD THEIR HEALTHCARE UPENDED.
THIS IS REALLY A BIG DEAL. WE HAVE A MAIL SYSTEM THAT'S
ALSO IN EAU CLAIRE, BUT THEY CAN'T QUITE COVER ALL THAT AND
NEITHER CAN MARSHFIELD, WHICH IS ALSO HERE.
WE'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH ALL OF THEM TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND
AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY CAN DO TO EXPAND SOME SERVICES, BUT WE
STILL HAVEN'T COME UP WITH THAT LONG-TERM SOLUTION OF WHERE
EVERYONE'S GOING TO BE ABSORBED. >> WHAT HAVE YOU HARD FROM YOUR
CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH ALL OF THIS?
>> IT'S INTERESTING, FREDERICA. WE HAVE, FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING, GOTTEN PLEAS FROM PEOPLE, WHY CAN'T YOU STOP THIS?
THERE'S SIMPLY A MISUNDERSTANDING THAT HOSPITALS
ARE UNDER SOME SORT OF RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STATE OR
SOME SORT OF REGULATIONS THAT CAN BE PREVENT THIS FROM
HAPPENING, AND THAT'S THE THING THAT I THINK REALLY, REALLY HURT
PEOPLE, THAT THIS COULDN'T BE STOPPED.
DECISION AND THEY HAVE TO MAKE THEIR
DECISIONS BASED ON THE LOSSES THAT THEY'VE BEEN TAKING.
>> HOW HAVE PROVISIONS FOR DOCTORS AND STAFF, FOR EXAMPLE,
IN TERMS OF SEVERANCE OR JOB PLACEMENT, BEEN GOING, TO YOUR
UNDERSTANDING? ERSTANDING, ONE OF
THE REASONS FOR INSTANCE WHEN THEY -- I'LL START WITH WHEN
THEY FIRST MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT, THEY MADE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT GIVING PEOPLE THE IMPRESSION THAT IT WOULD BE
MIGHT WANT DAYS MEANING TO APRIL 2021 THAT WE WOULD EXPECT THEM
TO CLOSE, BUT THEY'VE ALREADY CLOSED AS OF TODAY, MARCH
22nd, AND PARTLY BECAUSE DURING THAT COURSE OF TIME,
DOCTORS AND NURSES HAVE ALREADY BEEN FINDING OTHER POSITIONS IN
OTHER AREAS AND THAT'S REALLY A BIG CONCERN, THAT WE MAY BE
LOSING THAT TALENT AND SKILL OUTSIDE OF THE AREA.
SO THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN FINDING THEIR PLACES.
I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN, OF COURSE, AS WE ALL KNOW, A GREAT
CALLING FOR MORE DOCTORS AND NURSES IN -- THROUGHOUT THIS
COUNTRY, SO IT'S PROBABLY NOT THAT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND
THEIR POSITION, BUT WE SURE DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEM FROM
WESTERN WISCONSIN. >> HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING
SPECIFICALLY DONE AT THE STATE LEVEL TO HELP IN THIS SITUATION
AS SOME OF YOUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASKING?
>> YEAH, THERE CERTAINLY HAS BEEN.
CONVERSATION WITH ALL OF THE HEALTH PROVIDERS OVER THE COURSE
OF TIME, TRYING BEHIND THE SCENES TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN
DO AS A STATE TO HELP THEM TO ABSORB THE LOSSES, BUT ALSO THE
OBVIOUS PUBLIC THING THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF IS THAT
THERE WERE $15 MILLION SET ASIDE A FEW YEARS AGO FOR THIS
HOSPITAL. THEY NEVER DID GET INTO THAT
MONEY, SO WE HAVE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION, VERY BIPARTISAN
DECISION TO MOVE THAT MONEY BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND AND LET --
HOPEFULLY LET THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ACTUALLY SECURE THAT
MONEY SO THAT THEY CAN GRANT THAT MONEY TO HELP MAKE THIS
HAPPEN, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY HAS BEEN
DRAGGING THEIR FEET. WE'VE HAD A MONTH NOW SINCE WE
PASSED THAT LEGISLATION IN THE SENATE AND THE ASSEMBLY AND
SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR AND YET WE STILL ARE WAITING TO SEE IF
THEY WILL RELEASE THAT MONEY AT ALL.
IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR THAT.
>> WHAT WOULD THAT $15 MILLION GO TOWARD?
>> WELL, ORIGINALLY THE REPUBLICANS HAD ONLY SUGGESTED,
AND THIS IS WHERE WE COME INTO THE POLITICAL PROBLEM WE HAVE,
THEY SUGGESTED IT SHOULD ONLY GO TOWARDS EMERGENCY CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENTS, BUT THE -- AS I SAID, I'VE SPOKEN TO ALL OF OUR
PROVIDERS AND THEY'VE BEEN ASKING FOR MONEY TO, FOR
INSTANCE, EXPAND URGENT CARE, TO EXPAND OBSTETRICS, BECAUSE THERE
WAS 900 -- EXPECTED 900 BIRTHS GOING TO HAPPEN AT SACRED HEART
THIS NEXT YEAR, SO OTHER PLACES NEED TO EXPAND THAT SERVICE.
BUT ALSO, MORE IMPORTANTLY, AS WE HAVE ALREADY TOUCHED ON,
BEING ABLE TO SECURE THE STAFF AND TO HIRE THE STAFF NEEDED.
THE MONEY AS KAITD BY THE REPUBLICANS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO BE USED BY THAT AND THAT'S WHY THE GOVERNOR HAD TO
VETO THAT PART OF THE BILL AND OPEN UP THE POSSIBILITIES FOR
PROVIDERS TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT MONEY AS THEY SEE THE NEEDS THAT
ARE PRESENTED TO US. >> ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE. SENATOR JEFF SMITH, THANKS VERY