Children’s Wisconsin will stop providing medical services at its Next Door Pediatrics clinic, at 2561 N. 29th St. in Milwaukee’s Metcalfe Park neighborhood, by end of end of December.
The clinic, which is located on the same property as the Next Door community center, will continue to provide dental services to children at the location, but Children’s Wisconsin officials said they are no longer able to provide medical care in at the clinic due to a lack of space.
“After carefully reviewing our offerings at the Next Door Pediatrics clinic and the needs of our patients, we have determined the space and size constraints at Next Door Pediatrics do not allow us to consistently deliver the services our patients require,” the health care provider said in a statement.
Children’s said it is currently working with families to assist in the transfer of their care to other Children’s Wisconsin primary care locations, including its Midtown Pediatrics, Good Hope Pediatrics or River Glen Pediatrics locations. But critics of the move, including Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) say it will be a serious blow to an already fragile community.
In a press release issued Tuesday morning, MICAH’s health equity organizer, Diannia Merritt, said ceasing of medical care at the clinic would have “profoundly negative consequences on the most economically disenfranchised communities in Milwaukee.”
The clinic is located in the middle of the Sherman Park, Metcalfe Park, and Amani neighborhoods near some of the city’s most impoverished areas. Noting health care disparities in those neighborhoods, including a high rate of lead poisoning, and maternal and infant mortality, MICAH said it is calling on Children’s to reconsider its decision.
“Next Door Pediatrics-Children’s Wisconsin is a highly regarded clinic and is the nearest for families in neighborhoods of extreme poverty,” said Merrit. “Its closure would create a medical desert. Approximately 95% of the clinic’s patients use Medicaid insurance and reside in zip codes that represent the worst health outcomes in the city.”
Merritt said that having to travel to another clinic would create a hardship for many of the families that currently rely on the Next Door clinic for care.
In response, Children’s stated that it is working to determine solutions to community member concerns, “such as access to transportation to the family’s new clinic of choice.”
“This was a difficult decision, and not one we took lightly. We are grateful for the community support for the Next Door Pediatrics clinic and we will continue to work with the community, local leaders and organizations, such as the Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE), to determine the next use of this space to support kids and families,” Children’s said. “In no way was this a financial decision. Well over 50% of our patients every year receive some form of Medicaid coverage and we are long-time advocates for keeping Medicaid and BadgerCare strong for Wisconsin families.”
Children’s added that all of the providers and staff at the clinic have chosen to stay with the organization.
“We hope every patient family stays as well,” Children’s said.
