MILWAUKEE — A vital Milwaukee health clinic that serves hundreds each week is temporarily closing its doors due to a nursing shortage. The city's Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic, offering STI treatments at the Keenan Health Center, has shut down operations temporarily, not because of funding cuts, but due to a critical shortage of nurses.
The clinic typically serves about 30 patients daily, sometimes with just two nurses on duty — far below what's needed to maintain safe operations.
"We've actually been having challenges staffing our public health nurses in particular. These positions are critical to the roles of patient care that we provide here," Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis said.
The department says using temporary nurses and reducing hours still weren't enough to maintain operations, forcing them to pause services entirely.
"We've had a couple of resignations and reductions in available hours for staff that really led us to this moment, where we've made the difficult decision to close the clinic. This was not an easy decision to make," Totoraitis said.
Deputy Commissioner of Clinical Services Jacquelyn Brown emphasized the clinic's importance to the community and outlined the city's plan to reopen.
"This clinic is critical to our community," Brown said.
Watch: Health officials, advocates react to Milwaukee STI treatment clinic temporary closure
The city is now focused on rebuilding staff through three hiring events scheduled for November 18, November 21, and December 1.
"We figured it's important for nurses to come into our building, see the workspace," Brown said.
The closure comes at a critical time for Milwaukee County, which reported more than 15,700 STI cases in 2023 — among the highest rates in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Andrea Waters of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee says the temporary closure will significantly impact the community.
"This temporary pause in services is really going to affect the community in a very negative way," Waters said. "There are not a lot of other options for people to seek out, especially for affordable STI treatment or testing."
Waters emphasized the clinic's strategic location and accessibility.
"Especially where the location is for the STI testing clinic, because it's very central to Milwaukee, it's on a bus route, and it's accessible from all neighborhoods. The fact that it's being paused is just a major disappointment," Waters said.
While the STI clinic is closed, other programs at the Keenan Health Center will continue operating, including WIC, immunizations, and tuberculosis care.
The city expects to provide an updated reopening timeline by Thanksgiving week. During the temporary closure, Milwaukee residents are encouraged to access same-day STI testing and treatment through the following community health partners:
Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. (MHSI) – 2555 N. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Drive | (414) 372-8080
Hours: Tues–Fri, 8:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Progressive Community Health Centers
Lisbon Avenue Health Center – 3522 W. Lisbon Ave | Mon–Thurs, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Fri, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
12th Street Urgent Care – 945 N. 12th St | Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (last check-in 6:30 p.m.)
Outreach Community Health Centers – 220 W. Capitol Dr. | (414) 727-6320
Mon–Thurs, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Fri, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Residents can find updates about the STI Clinic’s status, other available services at Keenan, and hiring information at city.milwaukee.gov/health [city.milwaukee.gov]under the Clinics tab, or by going directly to its Clinics [city.milwaukee.gov] webpage
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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