Nurses to protest a plan to close the birthing center at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital
I wish I could make the protest in Ironwood but I am unable to make the two hour drive right after work. All the best. -Brian Irizarry
HEALTH
Detroit Free Press
A protest is set for Sept. 17 to rally against Aspirus Health's planned closure of the labor and delivery unit at the Aspirus Ironwood Hospital.
The hospital did not accept a $1.2 million grant from the state to support obstetrics and gynecological care, and instead announced that it will close the birthing center at the end of 2025.
Aspirus Health nurses say they'll rally Sept. 17 to protest a plan to close the Aspirus Ironwood Hospital's labor and delivery unit in December despite a $1.2 million state grant that was offered to the Upper Peninsula hospital to support obstetric and gynecological care.
The Detroit Free Press reported that the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) made 10 attempts — starting in November 2024 — to get Aspirus Health to accept the grant funding, which was carved out of the 2025 fiscal year state budget.
The funding was intended to be used to "subsidize the costs of providing temporary physician(s), registered nurses and training costs while a model for the access to prenatal, birthing, and postpartum services is developed for residents in the western Upper Peninsula," said LEO spokesperson Jason Moon.
But it wasn't until Sept. 5 that LEO got notification that Aspirus rejected the money. That is the same day Aspirus announced its plans to close the Ironwood hospital's birthing unit.
In a statement, the Wausau, Wisconsin-based nonprofit health system said it spurned the $1.2 million grant because "accepting taxpayer dollars to temporarily prop up an inappropriate care model would not have been responsible." Aspirus also said it has had difficulty retaining a full medical team to operate the unit and that the volume of births is declining in the region.
The nurses, who are affliated with the Michigan Nurses Association, are working on an expired contract, and said they won't stand by as Aspirus closes the birthing center, giving pregnant women in the region fewer options for labor and delivery.
Aspirus officials did not respond to a Free Press request for comment on the planned protest or contract negotiations.
Once the birthing center in Ironwood closes, it's 45 miles to the nearest hospital with labor and delivery services over state lines in Ashland, Wisconsin.
“It is disgusting that Aspirus executives refused to take $1.2 million the state tried to give them to protect OB services at our hospital," Sarah Trudgeon, a registered nurse and president of the local Michigan Nurses Association union, said in a statement. "They had no right to say no to money meant to help our community. Both at the bargaining table and in the community, Aspirus keeps treating U.P. residents and nurses like we just don’t matter.”The Ironwood Hospital nurses have been bargaining for a new contract with Aspirus since May. Their contract expired Aug. 2.
Union leaders say they'll include discussions about the closure of the birthing center in negotiations when bargaining resumes.
“It’s not clear when Aspirus will come back to the table," said registered nurse Angie Butzke in a statement. "Our union is strong and we are not interested in bowing down to Aspirus, which seems to think it can railroad the entire western U.P. into doing whatever it wants, no matter the cost to us and our communities.”
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The rally is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Fahrner’s Excavating Materials lot, which is at the corner of U.S.-2 and Oak Lane, in Ironwood.
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.