>> GOOD NEWS FOR US.

CHARLES FRANKLIN, THANKS VERY MUCH.

>> GOVERNOR TONY EVERS VISITED EAU CLAIRE THIS WEEK WHERE THE COMMUNITY IS STILL REELING FROM LATE NOTICE ABOUT CLOSURES OF TWO HOSPITALS AND 19 CLINICS.

THE GOVERNOR SAID HE WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE HOSPITAL SISTERS HEALTH SYSTEM'S LACK OF NOTIFICATIONS AND HOW IT WAS HANDLED WAS WRONG.

IN AN INTERVIEW, LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE KAREN HURD SHARED HER CONCERNS.

>> AS FAR AS THE IMPACT, I CONSIDER THIS TO BE HUGE.

NOT AS BIG AS THE MAUI FIRES, BUT CERTAINLY BIGGER THAN THE EAST PALESTINE-OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT WHERE THEY HAD THE BIG CHEMICAL STILL.

IT'S BIGGER THAN THAT.

I SEE IT AS BIGGER THAN THAT.

THIS PEOPLE ARE -- I SEE THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE, BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THE STATE REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY, WE ARE LIVING, BREATHING THIS EVERY MOMENT AND TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING, SOMETHING TO BE ABLE TO HELP.

>> FOR MORE ON THE GREATER IMPACT OF THESE CLOSURES AND THE OVERALL TREND OF RURAL HEALTH ACCESS DECLINING, WE TURN TO JOHN EICH, DIRECTOR OF THE WISCONSIN OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH AT THE UW SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH.

JOHN EICH, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>> MY PLEASURE.

>> SO WHEN HOSPITAL SYSTEMS LIKE THIS PULL OUT OF RURAL AREAS IN WISCONSIN, HOW BIG OF A SHOCK IS THAT TO HEALTHCARE ACCESS?

>> IN A LOT OF WAYS, I THINK IT'S A SHOCK.

IT'S A SHOCK FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE TO NOW DRIVE FURTHER TO GET TO APPOINTMENTS OR TO CARE FOR LOVED ONES.

IT'S A SHOCK TO THE E.M.S.

SYSTEM IN THAT THEY HAVE TO TAKE PATIENTS LONGER AND LONGER FOR CARE.

AND IT'S ALSO A HIT TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.

A SMALL COMMUNITY IS MORE ATTRACTIVE TO ALL KINDS OF NEW BUSINESSES IF THEY HAVE ROBUST HEALTHCARE, AND IF THAT'S MISSING, THAT'S CHALLENGING AS WELL.

>> BECAUSE WHERE ARE PEOPLE FINDING CARE IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN?

KIND OF THE DRIVE TIMES THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCE GETTING TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM.

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

SO OUR OFFICE DID AN ANALYSIS OF THAT DRIVE TIME, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT.

SO THE GREEN IS 10 MINUTES.

THE YELLOW, 20.

AND THE RED, 30-MINUTE ACCESS.

SO IT'S FAIRLY OBVIOUS WHERE THE GAPS ARE OF THE NORTH WOODS, HAS SORT OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THERE, AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE IN A SENSE THE CLUSTERS ARE AS WELL.

RELEVANT TO THIS SITUATION, WHERE YOU HAVE EAU CLAIRE COUNTY SO CLOSE TO THE TWIN CITIES AND THESE ARE VERY LARGE SYSTEMS, THEY'RE COMPETING PRETTY FIERCELY WITH EACH OTHER, AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURES ON THEM.

THIS SITUATION PARTICULARLY.

I THINK THERE'S A REASON THAT IT HAPPENED HERE VERSUS OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE.

>> REPRESENTATIVE HURD SAID PEOPLE WILL DIE.

IS THAT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT?

>> WELL, HEALTHCARE IS ALWAYS LIFE AND DEATH, AND SO I DO THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE LONGER FOR PEOPLE TO GET TO CARE.

TO BE HORROR CHALLENGING FOR THEM -- MORE CHALLENGING FOR THEM IN E.M.S.

IN RURAL AREAS PARTICULARLY.

WE'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVE TIMES, AND SO THAT IS POSSIBLE, BUT I THINK THAT WE HAVE A ROBUST HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THIS STATE AND PEOPLE ARE DOING THEIR BEST AND ARE PROVIDING EXCELLENT CARE.

SO IT IS A CHALLENGE FOR SURE.

>> HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, BOTH URBAN AND RURAL, FACE WORKER SHORTAGES.

>> I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE PANDEMIC BROUGHT THIS SORT OF SOCIAL CHALLENGE, SORT OF THE DIVISIONS, THE PARTISAN DIVISIONS WHERE WE TAKE HEALTHCARE AND POLITICIZE IT.

AND SO YOU HAVE WORKERS WHO WENT FROM BEING HEROES TO SUDDENLY BEING PARIAHS OR POLITICAL OPERATIVES, AND I THINK THAT REALLY PLAYS OUT IN A SMALLER COMMUNITY, PEOPLE KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER.

AS SOMEONE WALKS PAST ME IN A CITY STREET, I MAY NOT KNOW THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, BUT IF IT'S A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS WHO WORKS AT THE HOSPITAL OR THE CLINIC, YOU'RE MORE IN A SPOTLIGHT.

THOSE CHALLENGES THAT I THINK WE ALL FELT WITH FAMILY, EXTENDED FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS WHO DISAGREE ABOUT TOPICS, I THINK THAT'S VERY COMPELLING.

IT'S VERY CLOSE TO HOME IN A SMALLER COMMUNITY.

AND SO I THINK THOSE KIND OF SOCIAL ISSUES IMPACTED THE WORKFORCE, NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT THEY WERE DAY AFTER DAY OF THIS WORK AND SEEING PEOPLE VERY SICK AND DYING.

IT TAKES AN EMOTIONAL TOLL, AND I DON'T THINK IT'S AS HE DOES AS WE DON'T HAVE TO WEAR MASKS ANYMORE.

IT'S STILL I DON'T FEEL GREAT AT MY JOB.

MAYBE I SHOULD CONSIDER AN EARLY RETIREMENT OR MAYBE I SHOULD CONSIDER A DIFFERENT LINE OF WORK.

>> AND THAT PERSISTS?

>> IT DOES.

I THINK IN BUSINESS, THEY TALK ABOUT HOW CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR LUNK.

THESE ARE CULTURAL ISSUES AND THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE -- THESE ARE HARD CHANGE ISSUES AND THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE A WHILE.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS AND I DON'T THINK WE'LL SEE IT GO AWAY QUICKLY.

IT, BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME.

>> SPEAKING OF SOLUTIONS, WHAT KIND OF MEASURES ARE NEEDED TO, SPANNED ACCESS TO QUALITY EXPAND ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE?

>> IN WISCONSIN, WE'RE VERY LUCKY.

UP UNTIL RECENTLY, WE HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF HOSPITAL CLOSURES, AND SO I THINK WE'RE DOING WELL.

WE HAVE TO FILL IN THESE GAPS THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED AND I THINK HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS WILL DO THAT.

BUILDING BACK THE WORKFORCE.

THAT'S A LONG PROCESS AS WELL, AND I THINK ALSO BROADBAND IS VERY IMPORTANT IF WE'RE PROVIDING CARE TO PATIENTS WHO HAVE TO DRIVE TO GET INTO A FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT OR A CHECK-IN, THEM BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR PROVIDERS FROM THEIR HOME OR FROM A MOBILE SITUATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT THERE JUST ISN'T THE BROADBAND AND CELLULAR COVERAGE IN RURAL AREAS THAT WE NEED.