Three New Medical Providers Aim to Fill Gaps Left by HSHS, Prevea
task force offers updates on what new, existing providers will do to meet needs
A task force convened to address the closure of two hospitals and the exit of Prevea Health from the Chippewa Valley, announced Wednesday, Feb. 14, that three new companies – NorthLakes Community Clinic, The Remedy Mental Health, and Pivotal Health – plan to enter the region and ramp up services to fill gaps in the health care market.
The three providers will fill different niches created by the closing of HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals and local Prevea Health clinics, said David Minor, president/CEO of the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, which helped convene the task force after the Jan. 22 closure announcement.
In a media release Wednesday, the task force provided a number of updates on the multifaceted situation:
OAKLEAF MEDICAL NETWORK. The task force has “had conversations with the OakLeaf Medical Network leadership about their outreach to HSHS and Prevea,” the statement said. “We understand those discussions are occurring between legal counsels for the parties and, therefore, it is not appropriate for the Task Force to participate in those conversations.” Eau Claire-based OakLeaf Medical Network – which encompasses 26 clinics and 300 medical providers in the region – said it was moving ahead with plans to create an “independent community hospital.” It had previously announced that it wanted to negotiate with HSHS and Prevea to purchase those entities’ facilities – including the soon-to-be-vacant hospitals. OakLeak had said Feb. 9 that it had hired Mike Sanders, formerly head of SSM Health in Monroe, to lead the community hospital effort. “We are dedicated to doing everything we can to help serve the very real and critical healthcare needs of our region,” said Dr. Kyle Dettbarn, chairman of OakLeaf Medical Network.
In addition, Chippewa Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, which is part of the OakLeaf Medical Network – filed a lawsuit against HSHS to keep the Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s open until at least July 21, saying its contract with HSHS required a 180-day termination noticed. (HSHS said it will close by April 21, 90 days after its announcement.)
MARSHFIELD CLINIC. Marshfield Clinic Health System, which operates a hospital on Clairemont Avenue not far from Sacred Heart, plans to expand the number of beds devoted to labor and delivery from eight to 20, a move that can accommodate as many as 550 more births annually, the task force said. “As other hospitals and health systems are making difficult decisions, we have determined the steps we can take to increase delivery and labor beds for expectant mothers and their families,” MMC-Eau Claire President Brad Groseth said. “We know the importance of having a comfortable space with high-quality staff and resources to deliver their child to families in the area.” In addition, Marshfield Clinic expects to increase its ability to see more patients in Eau Claire – especially for emergency and urgent care – and is currently recruiting more employees.
MAYO CLINIC HEALTH SYSTEM. Dr. Richard Helmers, regional vice president for Mayo Clinic Health System, said Mayo is working to increase the number of patients it can care for in the area, including boosting the number of deliveries in its birth center and treating more patients in its emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. “In addition to an increase in patients needing care, healthcare workers and students have been impacted by these changes,” Helmers said in a statement via the task force. “We are working to match qualified healthcare workers with open positions that are appropriate for their skills. For nursing students and other medical learners who need clinical experience to complete their education, we are adding more than 10,000 clinical hours for training. We will continue to participate in the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce Recovery Task Force, which has brought community leaders together to identify and address the challenges patients and healthcare workers are experiencing.”
NORTHLAKES COMMUNITY CLINIC. NorthLakes Community Clinic operates 17 clinics in rural northern Wisconsin communities, and primarily provides outpatient services – including medical, dental, and mental health care – to people on Medicaid or those who are uninsured or underinsured, the task force said. While it has provided pediatric dental services and mental health counseling in Eau Claire in the recent past, “the services NorthLakes hopes to have up and running by May of 2024 include primary medical, pediatric, and general dentistry, mental health counseling, and full-spectrum outpatient recovery (including individual and group therapy and medication-assisted treatment). They are actively recruiting providers and staff,” the task force said. (Read more about NorthLakes’ response here.)
THE REMEDY MENTAL HEALTH. The Remedy Mental Health, which now has clinics in the Twin Cities metro area and Hudson, says it will fill some of the void left by HSHS and Prevea through both mental health and substance abuse treatment. “We are pleased to announce that we have successfully hired 95% of the employees of Prevea Behavioral Health outpatient clinics,” the company said in a statement. “This will provide for a seamless transition of care without any disruption to patients.”
PIVOTAL HEALTH. The Middleton-based company, which was founded in 2021, is a provider of on-demand home visits, “bringing urgent care, primary care, and preventative health directly to patients,” the task force announcement states. Pivotal Health is “actively looking” to expand into the Chippewa Valley, and have local providers ready to start seeing patients in March. “They’re in talks with stakeholders about financing growth, and meeting with employers about a direct-to-business offering that radically lowers company healthcare costs,” the media release said.
Learn more about the HSHS/Prevea Recovery Task Force here.
