No room for relief, reader admonishes Aspirus

To the Editor:

Aspirus Health is failing our community in one important aspect. Aspirus is one of the only clinic/hospital systems in our area, and it employs some very fine doctors and other providers. The administration, though, has made a decision that is making it hard for some people to get needed care.

A bit over a year ago I started a regimen of allergy shots. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years but never had time for when I was working. The time commitment is large, and the financial commitment is not insignificant. Getting this done requires one shot weekly for a year (or two weekly for six months), followed by one shot monthly for five years.

To my knowledge, Aspirus has no providers who do this. Fortunately, a very good specialty clinic in Wausau offers allergy shots. According to the Aspirus website, that specialty clinic is part of the “Aspirus Network, Inc.” The Aspirus website says the Network “. . . aligns all elements of the care continuum to advance quality and improvement efforts that produce better clinical outcomes, enhanced patient experiences and controlled costs.” It also says that members of the Network have the opportunity to “serve as advocates for healthier communities.”

When I signed up for the shots, the specialty clinic had an arrangement with Aspirus that allowed Aspirus nurses to give the shots in Rhinelander. Within months of my first shot, Aspirus stopped allowing its nurses to give them. The specialty clinic then started sending staff to Rhinelander to give shots. Within months, Aspirus announced that it would not allow the specialty clinic to use space in the Aspirus Rhinelander Clinic. The necessary space consisted of one small room and seats in the waiting room. The specialty clinic scrambled and found a local hotel that had space. That fix was temporary though.

When the hotel space became unavailable, The Forest County Potawatomi Community graciously allowed shots to be given at their Crandon clinic. People getting shots now have to travel to Wausau or, on days when spaces are available, Crandon. I’m retired, and can afford the time and expense of travel, so for me it’s an inconvenience. But what about students and working people? Are students having to miss school time and after school activities to spend a couple hours in the car to get their shots? What about working people who can’t take the necessary time off work to travel?

In Rhinelander, Aspirus has two clinics and a hospital. It’s difficult to imagine that they can’t find space in any of these facilities. As a corporate member of our community which says that it cares about healthy communities and affordable health care, can’t Aspirus find one single room where allergy shots can be given? I think that if they want to, they will be able to. I hope they do. 

Tom Wiensch

Rhinelander