Information regarding the closure of Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s Hospitals, and Prevea Clinics in Western Wisconsin

Last week, the Hospital Sisters Health System (“HSHS”) announced that its Western Wisconsin hospitals and clinics will close in April 2024. Since then, we have been notified that they are no longer performing elective surgery at those facilities as of February 1st. Sacred Heart Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital, and the Prevea Clinics have already been transitioning patient care and closing operations. For our entire community this is troubling and presents complex challenges.

Evergreen Surgical is working closely with other OakLeaf physicians and regional facilities to determine a way to continue to provide our patients with the best care possible, as has been our mission since 1981. All of the Evergreen Surgical surgeons perform surgery at the OakLeaf Surgical Hospital, and most of our surgeons can also perform surgery at other facilities in the Chippewa Valley and surrounding communities. If OakLeaf Surgical Hospital isn’t an option for insurance reasons or due to the complexity of your situation, then we will do our best to find another facility that will meet your particular needs.

In many situations nothing will change, other than moving your procedure to a different location. It is important to understand that the Evergreen Surgeons and all the OakLeaf doctors have worked with Sacred Heart, St Joes, and Prevea — but we are not employed by them, so we continue to function in spite of these closures. Being part of the OakLeaf Medical Network allows us to be nimble and responsive to changing situations. The staff and surgeons at Evergreen Surgical will do our best to ensure access and care to current patients—and to those needing a new provider because of these closures.

Our clinic has been providing quality general surgical care in the Chippewa Valley for 43 years, and will continue to do so far into the future. During that 43 years there have been many dramatic upheavals in the healthcare landscape in Eau Claire, and we have successfully navigated through each of those changes, as we will this challenge. Feel free to contact us with any questions.