Milwaukee St. Francis labor/delivery closed; Common Council meeting

The Milwaukee Common Council will meet Thursday, Jan. 26 to discuss the labor and delivery unit at St. Francis. The unit was closed just before Christmas. Health care workers held a rally outside City Hall Wednesday night – pushing to reopen the unit. 

The labor and delivery unit at S. Francis Hospital near 16th and Oklahoma accepted its last patients Dec. 21. It was the only hospital where you could have a child on Milwaukee's south side.

Activists said they're worried this change will disproportionately impact minorities on the south side.

Ascension said it would be transitioning the services to the St. Mary's and the St. Joseph campuses.

A spokesperson issued this statement: "The clinical decision to consolidate labor and delivery services in Milwaukee was made following a thoughtful discernment process with our clinical and medical leaders to ensure we continue to provide high-quality care to the community."

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St. Mary's and St. Joe's are both between a 15- and 20-minute drive from St. Francis, depending on traffic.