MILWAUKEE — Ascension St. Francis Hospital staff has been sounding the alarm after Ascension shut down the Labor and Delivery unit on Dec. 23.
"Our union believes this is a signal of a complete lack of compassion," said the registered nurse bargaining unit president at St. Francis Tracey Schwerdtfeger.
Their fight appears to be gaining support from city leaders.
On the agenda for Thursday morning's Public Safety and Health Committee is: "Communication relating to the reduction of necessary medical services by hospital systems within the city of Milwaukee." It's sponsored by District 8 Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa.
WATCH THE MEETING LIVE HERE:
Schwerdtfeger and her colleagues with the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses rallied outside of city hall on Wednesday night. Schwerdtfeger said that support from city leaders has helped them in previous fights.
"Our unit was involved in a public campaign like this several years ago when they tried to eliminate services at St. Joseph's hospital. So, we know that through public pressure campaigns like this do work," Schwerdtfeger said.
When the St. Francis Labor and Delivery Unit initially closed, Ascension Wisconsin said they would transition patients to St. Mary's or St. Joseph's.
The Wisconsin Federation of Nurses says the closing at St. Francis has a disparate impact on the families they serve on the south side who now have to travel further for the care they need.
"A lot of our patients are Latino, immigrant, a lot of state insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and this is just a devastating impact," Schwerdtfeger said.
And she said the closure hasn't stopped families from coming to have their babies. But instead of having a unit available, people are giving birth in the emergency room.
"Our emergency room currently, actually, has a bed designated for labor and delivery patients," Schwerdtfeger said. "So we know that the administration is also under the understanding that people are not going to stop coming to St. Francis for this service."
