HSHS, Prevea to permanently close all western Wisconsin locations, including 2 hospitals

Prevea Health and Hospital Sisters Health System is leaving western Wisconsin, the health system announced in a news release Monday. HSHS and Prevea locations in eastern Wisconsin are not affected and will stay open.

Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls will close by April 21 “as part of a complete exit from the western Wisconsin region,” the news release said. All Prevea locations across the Chippewa Valley will also close.

HSHS and Prevea have been winding down services and transitioning patient care to other health care providers. All services will end by April 21 except for Prevea residency clinics that will close by June 30.

The closures affect 1,082 HSHS and 325 Prevea employees, according to the news release, who should get support services and a “potential” to seek other positions in the health system.

The decision to close the health system’s role was largely financial, according to the news release.

HSHS and Prevea had “operational and financial stress” due to “lingering impacts” of the pandemic, inflation, workforce constraints, local market challenges and other industry-wide trends.

HSHS considered an “agreement with a suitable partner” to relieve some of the challenges, but it didn’t work out, said Damond Boatwright, president and CEO of HSHS, in the release.

“Our operations in the region have struggled for the past several years due to a mismatch in the supply of and demand for local health care services,” Boatwright said.

Benita is a health reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at bmathew@gannett.com.