HSHS Act Introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

The HSHS Act, or Hospital Stability and Health Services Act, was introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin on Thursday.

According to a press release from Senator Baldwin, the new legislation is meant to protect communities from the sudden closure of essential hospitals. If passed into law, a closing hospital system would be required to notify the Department of Health and Human Services and develop a plan with public input to connect patients with accessible care. The notification would be required at least 90 days prior to the discontinuing of services or full closure.

The legislation comes months after HSHS, or Hospital Sisters Health System, announced that they would be closing Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls. The organization also closed a number of Prevea Health clinics across the Chippewa Valley.

In the press release, Senator Baldwin said “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 high and dry and with no options to find the sometimes lifesaving care they need.”

The hospital and clinic closures came as a shock to Chippewa Valley residents, as well as local government officials. In the wake of the announcement, other health care organizations like Marshfield Clinic and Mayo Clinic have sought to expand their operations in the area to minimize the negative impacts on the community.

The Wisconsin State Legislature also approved $15 million in emergency funding for emergency departments in Eau Claire and Chippewa Counties. That funding has been held up by the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee following line item vetoes by Governor Tony Evers intended to make the funding more flexible.

In his own press release, Governor Evers expressed his support for the new legislation. Governor Evers also again criticized the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee, saying “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 Senator 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.”