'What is your goal?' Ascension Wisconsin officials defend cuts to St. Joseph's Hospital in Milwaukee that will affect 100,000 residents

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- More than 100,000 Milwaukee residents will be affected next week, when Ascencion St. Joseph's Hospital closes a lab specializing in cardiovascular issues.

Of the 100,000 people, 74% are African American -- a population that health officials said are two times more likely to suffer from side effects of heart conditions. 

Currently, about 95% of the people who live in the city are within a 15-minute drive to the lab on the west side, but now that time will be extended.

Ascension Wisconsin announced the decision to shut down the catheterization in November, with a planned end date of Dec. 14.

On Thursday, Dec. 5, District 7 Alderman DiAndre Jackson held a press conference to raise awareness about the impending closure.

"Now although St. Joe's is in the seventh district, it's citywide," Ald. Jackson told reporters.

He was joined by multiple other city leaders, including District 2 Alderman Mark Chambers, who said he's personally affected by the news.

"My grandmother died of a heart attack, and she was serviced at St. Joseph's Hospital," Ald. Chambers said. "She had two heart attacks prior to her third one which subsequently took her life... I pose the question to Ascencion Healthcare and ask them, what is your goal?"

Following the conference, the Public Health and Safety Committee held a meeting with members of Ascencion Wisconsin, largely centering around the perceived lack of communication between the health giant and the community it serves.

“Our commitment is to make sure that it’s there in a manner that’s offering services that are reasonable, sustainable, and viable, given the landscape in which we’re working," said Ascencion Wisconsin CEO Daniel Jackson.

However, some on the committee pushed back, noting the closure will lead to at least an eight-minute increase in the time it takes for mainly minority patients to receive help.

“Every 30 minutes delay in cath lab access is a 7.5% increase in mortality," said Milwaukee Fire Dept. Asst. Chief David Hensley.

Shana Crittenden, the president of the hospital, noted that their goal is to work with city leaders and the public to find the best solutions, but that over the last year, most patients who came in didn't end up needing the lab's services.

“We have seen 2% of patients that come in with chest pains or experiencing cardiac arrest result in cath labs," Crittenden said.

But District 1 Alderwoman Andrea Pratt noted that the labs can still make a difference for those in need.

“It’s the difference between two or five people going there, that’s two or five people dying," Ald. Pratt said. “This is just one more thing to neighborhoods and communities that are already struggling so much.”

In a short interview afterwards, the CEO defended Ascencion's decision.

“These are multifactorial decisions, it’s not one thing or the other, it’s multiple factors," Jackson said. “The most important thing is that we’re committed to the community.”

But when asked specifically why the closure was necessary?

"I'm not going to get into that," Jackson said.