In May, St. Louis-based SSM Health announced plans to build an ASC that will replace a standalone emergency room in Sun Prairie, Wis. EMS leaders are concerned about the effects the closure will have on emergency services, according to a June 13 report from Channel 3000.
Emergency physicians are looking for ways to fill the expected care gap, requesting $700,000 from the city to hire seven new paramedics and add a fourth ambulance.
Of the 4,000 calls the city EMS receives annually, one-third are sent to the ER in Sun Prairie. Now, one EMS leader said he expects transport times will triple as patients are sent to downtown Madison, Wis.
An SSM spokesperson told Channel 3000 that the Sun Prairie ER did not see enough calls to justify keeping it open.
The ASC is expected to open in place of the emergency facility in 2025.