MICHIGAN NURSES ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE
Nurses at Aspirus Keweenaw want to make sure the public is aware of the corporation’s decision to end inpatient OB services and deliveries at the hospital as of Dec. 31.
The only news coverage of the closure that the Michigan Nurses Association could find appears in a press release published in the Dec. 4th Ontonagon Herald, in which Aspirus buried the news as a “decision to change the OB model of care.”
“Aspirus promised to invest in us and make things better when it took over,” said Melissa Helppi, RN, an emergency department nurse who is president of the Michigan Nurses Association-Aspirus Keweenaw union. “It’s pretty obvious that they never intended to keep their promises, and now we see more of what Aspirus is really about. It’s absolutely shameful that they are not actively informing our community that they are, yet again, cutting vital local services.”
The cancellation of OB services at Keweenaw comes on the heels of Aspirus closing the Ontonagon Hospital this year after promising to expand it. In February, Aspirus announced a $30 million “renovation and expansion project” at Aspirus Keweenaw – yet here they are, doing the exact opposite of that.
“As nurses, we are not worried for ourselves – we are worried about the mothers who were counting on giving birth here and those who will have to go farther away in the future,” Helppi said. “Aspirus choosing to discontinue delivery services could put expectant mothers more at risk of life-threatening complications. It is important that our community be aware of these changes. “
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