Senator Baldwin Introduces HSHS Act to Protect Communities from Hospital Closures

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced new legislation to protect communities from sudden hospital closures that interrupt care and leave patients without access to the essential services they need to stay healthy. The Hospital Stability and Health Services (HSHS) Act would require closing hospital systems to notify the Department of Health and Human Services and develop a plan with public input to connect patients with accessible care. The legislation comes after Hospital Sisters Health System, also known as HSHS, recently announced they were abruptly closing two hospitals and over a dozen clinics in Western Wisconsin.

“For too many Wisconsin families, especially in our rural communities, health care is already a struggle to get. That’s why when hospitals like HSHS close with little to no notice for their patients, Wisconsinites are left high and dry and with no options to find the sometimes lifesaving care they need,” said Senator Baldwin. “If a big hospital is going to shut down in one of our communities, they should help ensure patients don’t slip through the cracks when they are gone. This legislation will help ensure those big hospital systems put their patients before profits and give Wisconsin families what they deserve: peace of mind that they will have access to the care they and their families need to stay healthy.”

Earlier this year, Hospital Sisters Health System announced they are closing Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls, along with all 19 Prevea Health locations in Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley. These closures announced by Hospital Sisters Health System will result in the loss of emergency rooms, hospital beds, and critical care units, as well as access to maternal health care, behavioral health care, and dialysis treatments in western Wisconsin. Senator Baldwin penned a letter to HSHS asking them to do right by their patients, employees, and community members as they close hospitals and health care facilities across Western Wisconsin.

The Hospital Stability and Health Services Act would require hospitals that are closing or eliminating service to notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and allow HHS to request a mitigation plan to ensure patients can still access the care they need. The legislation requires hospitals to notify HHS at least 90 days prior to the discontinuation of services or a full hospital closure. During the notification period, hospitals are prohibited from discontinuing essential services unless continuing to provide the service would be dangerous to patients or employees.

If HHS determines that the closure would negatively affect access to care, the hospital must submit a plan to HHS that outlines how they will maintain essential services for the community through partnerships with surrounding facilities, including patient transportation plans, and support the transition of health care employees to other positions. This mitigation plan would be available for public comment to ensure community input, and the agency can work with the hospital to develop an alternative plan should the original proposal be insufficient. The bill will also require an annual report to Congress on hospital closure trends and the capacity of the health care system to meet surge demands.

Full text of this legislation is available here.

###