The other shoe drops

It comes as no surprise, but the news still sent a shockwave throughout the southern Wisconsin community. Mercy Health System, the area's largest employer, said it is having financial challenges and will reevaluate its operation.

It came to my attention Wednesday (July 23) that Mercy would close down its transportation unit, Mercy in Motion, on September 1. When contacted to comment on this development, Mercy Health System Vice President for Marketing and Public Relations Barb Bortner issued the following statement at 3:13 p.m. that same day.

"Mercy is facing challenges that we've not seen before in our 100-year history. As we move into a new era of increased competition and loss of automobile industry related jobs, it's important for us to focus on providing direct health care services.

"Therefore, we have been looking at the core services that help us promote our mission of providing exceptional health care services resulting in healing in the broadest sense.

"Transportation services are not part of our core services, but they are available from a variety of other private and public sources in Rock County.

"Our intent is to concentrate our resources most effectively on direct patient care."

In a statement release Thursday, July 24 at 10:20 a.m., Bortner said the General Motors decision to close the Janesville assembly plant and the decision by Dean/St. Mary's to build a hospital in Janesville presents challenges the system has not seen in its 100-year history. She said the system will attempt to accomplish its reevaluation without layoffs by hiring from within and reassigning employees affected by the closing of any programs or services.