In the days after HSHS closed doors, we are now seeing some of the effects on the front lines.
Firefighters in Eau Claire say it will likely take longer to drop people off at the ER now that Sacred Heart Hospital is closed. Eau Claire Fire and Rescue deputy chief Jon Schultz says it used to take about 10 minutes to drop a patient off, clean the ambulance, and get back to work. He says that will likely double because there are few spots at local ER’s. Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley lost about a third of the area’s care options when Sacred Heart and St. Joe’s in Chippewa Falls closed last week.
Schultz says the area’s hospitals are working with them to try and speed things up.
