Chippewa Valley HSHS Hospitals and Prevea Health Locations to Close

HSHS, Hospital Sisters Health System, the faith-based health system housing Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls, announced Monday that it will be closing the two hospitals as well as all Prevea Health physician locations across the Chippewa Valley. 

According to their media release, they’ve started the process to transition patients to other providers and wind-down medical services. They expect the majority of locations to close on or before April 21st, 2024, with Prevea residency clinics closing on or before June 30th, 2024. 

They cite “prolonged operational and financial stress related to lingering impacts of the pandemic, inflation, workforce constraints, local market challenges and other industry-wide trends” as the reason for the closures.

HSHS will be completely exiting the Western Wisconsin region, after an agreement with a partner fell through.

This will affect over 1,000 HSHS and 325 Prevea colleagues and physicians. “We made this decision with a heavy heart as HSHS Sacred Heart and HSHS St. Joseph’s have been treasured ministries of the Hospital Sisters for more than 140 years,” said Damond Boatwright, President and CEO of HSHS. “We extend our deepest gratitude to our colleagues, physicians and volunteers for their countless contributions—all of which have shaped the Hospital Sisters’ healing legacy. The mission behind that legacy will guide and sustain us as we move forward.”