Contact:
Rep. David Crowley
608.266.5580
920.915.0479
MILWAUKEE, WI – Rep. David Crowley (D-Milwaukee) issued the following statement in response to Ascension Wisconsin pausing plan to reconfigure services and downsize St. Joseph Hospital:
“Like so many members of my community, I was deeply troubled with the proposed downsizing of St. Joseph Hospital which has been a cornerstone in Milwaukee for over a century. I applaud the efforts of my fellow community leaders, elected officials, and Ascension Wisconsin staff for listening to the will of the community and not cutting services at St. Joseph.
“This situation has however shone a light on a bigger problem in our overall healthcare system. I continue to be worried by the state of healthcare inequalities in my community, our state, and across the entire country. Thanks to Governor Walker, Wisconsin continues to have some of the lowest Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement rates in the nation, leaving hospitals like St. Joseph that have high percentages of Medicaid recipients, with financial deficits.
“Moving forward, we must do more to ensure quality, affordable healthcare options to all citizens of Wisconsin and that is why I call on not only Ascension Wisconsin but all the health care providers in Southeastern Wisconsin to come together and create a system of greater access to primary care services. What we have been doing is clearly not working and without innovative and creative solutions, I fear nothing but the same outcomes moving forward.”
