Deal for undisclosed amount to include six other hospitals

“No, not at all,” Tom Weaver as an official media contact for Ascension Health regarding the impact on patient care of a recently announced sale of several hospitals and Ascension Wisconsin to Aspirus Health of Wausau. “Patients will come first and we will continue to serve them” until the transition is complete, he said. Additionally, Weaver said it would not affect COVID related matters like ongoing staff vaccination at Ascension Health sites.

Weaver was echoed in this sentiment by senior vice president of Ascension Bernie Sherry regarding the commitment of Ascension to its patients as the transition continues.

“Ascension Wisconsin remains comitted to putting our communities first, which means being responsive to the changing needs of those we serve,” he said. “We look forward to finalizing this transition with Aspirus as a way of honoring that commitment. We are confident that this transition will enable these facilities and their dedicated caregivers to be in a better position to serve the communities’ health needs going forward.”

Regarding the more specific sale details, Aspirus Health is now in process to buy several Ascension Wisconsin properties, including Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Stanley and 21 physician clinics in north and central Wisconsin. Due to the fact that the sale had been signed but was not yet closed upon, Weaver unable to confirm a price for the acquisition by Aspirus. Similarly, he was unable to provide a reason for

See SALE, Page 7

Aspirus Health of Wausau has purchased Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Stanley. Details are pending and the transition will not be immediate.

FROM PAGE 1 the sale, though another story at modernhealthcare. com reported that Ascension Wisconsin had operated at a 2.5 percent loss or $639.4 million dollars. Meanwhile, there were other details to address with the still pending transition to Aspirus.

“I know there’s the Federal Trade Commission that it has to go through,” Weaver said in reference to a press release announcing “regulatory and canonical requirements” that must be met before the acquisition of Ascension Health assets including Our Lady of Victory Hospital by Aspirus Health can take place. “I’m sure there could be more.” As to the locations that will be affected, there are many local ones.

“I can tell you specific to your area that we have clinics in Stanley, Thorp and Owen,” Weaver said as places potentially affected by the merger. The transition will include Ascension Wisconsin Spirit Medical Transport as well. Meanwhile and listed together with Our Lady of Victory in Stanley, six other hospitals will also be affected, as follows:

• Eagle River Hospital in Eagle River

• Good Samaritan Hospital in Merrill

• Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff

• Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Stanley • Sacred Heart Hospital in Tomahawk

• St. Mary’s Hospital in Rhinelander

• St. Michael’s Hospital in Stevens Point All of the above facilities are in north central Wisconsin, with Eagle River in Vilas County on the Michigan border while Woodruff is north of Our Lady of Victory in Stanley, meanwhile, is on the far western edge of the Aspirus Health service area.

As to Aspirus as the buyer, a press release relates that it is “a non-profit, community directed health system based in Wausau, Wisconsin.” Employing 8,700 people, Aspirus Health is billed in the press release put out by Ascension as currently having four hospitals in Michigan and six in Wisconsin, along with “50 clinics, home health and hospice care, pharmacies, critical care and air-medical transport, medical goods, nursing homes, and a broad network of physicians.” The sale meanwhile, will reduce Ascension’s Wisconsin operations from 24 to just 18 hospitals, effectively shifting its operations to the south, as none of the hospitals listed as being sold is below Steven’s Point, geographically speaking. So what about those ‘canonical requirements’ referenced in the details needing to be address? What’s does ‘canonical’ refer to as such?

Catholic Church law, in a nutshell. Although modern health care began in what is termed the “Dark Ages” with care offered by nuns, not everything considered as healthcare in modern times is compatible with Catholic moral teaching. As such, any real or perceived conflicts (none are explicitly stated in the release) relating to the transition away from Our Lady of Victory’s current administration under the Church’s law code would need to be resolved prior to finalizing any transition.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), meanwhile, was founded in the early 20th century, with recent hospital mergers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere falling under its displeasure as potentially lessening regional competition and with it healthcare service quality. It is unknown what, if any reaction, the FTC might have to the hospital sales. As to pertinent church laws, the details can be found at www.usccb.org, under “Ethical and Religious Directives.”