The labor and delivery services at Ascension Mercy in Oshkosh ceased operations this week according to WBAY.
The hospital said it’s moving to consolidate prenatal, labor, delivery, and postnatal care to the Ascension NE Wisconsin – St. Elizabeth Campus in Appleton.
Ascension says the St. Elizabeth Campus has a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and specialized newborn nursery with 24/7 onsite neonatologist coverage. Ascension Wisconsin cited declining birth rates and low delivery volume for the closure.
It was reported in September that the St. Louis-based Ascension Healthcare finished its 2023 fiscal year June 30 with a net loss of $2.7 billion and an operating loss of $3 billion. Officials said when they reported the loss that ongoing challenges related to pandemic recovery, staffing shortages and rising expenses were challenges it was working to overcome.Â
The Oshkosh health care market is undergoing several changes with Froedtert and ThedaCare pursuing the construction of a new hospital expected to open there in late 2025. A merger of Froedtert and ThedaCare is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
In addition, it was announced last week that Froedtert had purchased Ascension’s share of Network Health and would have full ownership as a result.
