For the second time in as many years, Ascension Wisconsin is facing criticism over plans to eliminate medical services at one of their Milwauke hospitals.
The organization in November publicly announced plans to close their catheterization laboratory at Ascension St. Joseph’s on the city’s north side December 14th, citing both staff shortages as well as a need to focus on more heavily-utilized services at the hospital.
“The ability of the desire to offer all services at every hospital, it’s just not practical,” said Ascension Wisconsin CEO Daniel Jackson when pressed by members of the Common Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee Thursday on the matter.
Cath lab services are also being cut at Ascension St. Francis on the city’s south side, though Ascension Wisconsin says those cardiac services will be shifted to their Franklin hospital to provide 24/7 cath lab availability.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ascension Hospital in Waukesha set to close in January, additional services to be centralized
Much of the conversation before the committee meeting Thursday centered on impact to the community surrounding St. Joe’s. At a press conference outside city hall, leaders with the Milwaukee Fire Department and 7th District Alderman DiAndre Jackson said with the move, around 115,000 city residents, the vast majority of whom are African-American, no longer be within a 15 minute drive of a cath lab.
“In a city where Black residents already have disproportionate health outcomes, the decision by Ascension to close this life-saving unit in the heart of the city is far from equitable,” said Alderman Jackson.
As for during the meeting, questions from the committee centered on the communication, or perceived lack thereof, from Ascension Wisconsin regarding the closure before their announcement in November.
“You mentioned you had a meeting with the fire chiefs. Did you have that meeting before you made the decision to close?” asked Alderman Mark Chambers to St. Joseph’s President Shana Crittenden.
“No, we did not,” replied Crittenden.
When asked why Ascension Wisconsin chose to implement the closure when other hospitals under its umbrella are also navigating similar staff shortages, Jackson said it came down to what would be best for preserving patient intake times. “We feel that this will work, and there’s no problem adjusting if it doesn’t. Does that mean we’re going to re-open the cath lab? Not at this time.”
“I get whatever corporate, business, [or] healthcare decision you make…for me as an alderman, it doesn’t make sense,” said Common Council president and Public Health & Safety Committee member Jose Perez.
1st District Alderwoman Andrea Pratt added the cath lab shut down comes at the same time Walgreen’s has announced closures at both its 91st and Appleton Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Hadley Street locations, thus adding to the burden of north side residents seeking healthcare needs.
“You have to reach out to the people who you serve. The money that you’re saving, that money came from them. You have to let the neighborhood know how they’re going to be affected. It’s the difference between two or five people going there, that’s two or five people dying,” said Alderwoman Pratt.
Jackson has been at the helm for Ascension Wisconsin since August of 2023, when he took over the role form Bernie Sherry after a short stint as interim president and CEO of Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital on Milwaukee’s east side. Prior to that, Jackson was the CEO of Detroit Medical Center’s Sinai-Grace Hospital, leaving that post three months after a nearly 30 million dollar settlement was reached with the U.S. Department of Justice over an alleged kickback scheme and falsified Medicare claims.
Jackson is one of several new faces for the leadership team at Ascension Wisconsin; Crittenden was named president of St. Joseph’s in September of 2024 after serving nearly three years as an administrator for Los Angeles Community Hospital of Norwalk, Calfornia.
The influx of new Ascension leadership was not missed by the committee.
Jackson noted that conversations were held with Governor Tony Evers as well as state Senator LaTonya Jackson regarding the cath lab closure. However, the committee noted that Alderman Jackson was not included in those conversations.
“I’m assuming when y’all got here, you did your research on who the local alderperson is,” said Alderman Chambers.
“I don’t have an excuse for you. I’ve met a lot of people…I’ve been here 17 months. I’m happy to sit down and talk to get to know you better,” replied Jackson.
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