MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Wednesday night several dozen protesters braved the elements to urge Ascension Wisconsin to re-open labor and delivery services at St. Francis Hospital.
Ascension shut down those services just before Christmas, creating a void on Milwaukee's south side.
The nurses, healthcare workers and patients rallied not at the hospital, but in front of Ascension CEO Bernie Sherry's home. Their goal was to crank up the pressure and restore the services they say are now sorely lacking on the south side.
The crowd shouted out chants of "Stand up, fight back! Stand up, fight back! Stand up, fight back! Stand up, fight back!"
For nearly two weeks now, expectant families have been unable to access labor and delivery services on Milwaukee's south side.
Community member Alan Chavoya told the crowd, "This impacts the south side of Milwaukee, which is primarily Hispanic, Latino and immigrant populations."
Rally organizers say Ascension's shuttering of the services was a cruel Christmas gift to the community, and they wanted CEO Bernie Sherry to know how they felt.
Connie Smith is the president of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. She shouted in the direction of Sherry's building, "Bernie, you left a ho-e in our hearts and a community of women unsafe."
In addition to at least 20 union members losing their jobs, protesters say it will further deepen health inequities in the community.
https://www.cbs58.com/news/protesters-rally-outside-ascension-ceos-home-in-effort-to-restore-labor-delivery-services