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Dear Editor;
As medical providers serving this community we were surprised, not to mention deeply disappointed, with the decision to close Bloomfield Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center. While we appreciate and respect the fiscal challenges facing the Iowa County Board as well as many municipalities nationwide, this decision is short-sighted and will negatively impact the scope of health care available in our area. We cannot allow these challenges to dictate the future in such a profound way. Instead of ending a county legacy of 'caring for our own,' we need to redouble our efforts to find a better solution. We believe that providing care to the elderly and disabled in our community is a duty and not a disposable budgetary headache.
Compassionate care of our most vulnerable citizens requires that we prioritize facilities and beds to meet their needs. None of us can predict when we might be the one in need. We ask the Iowa County Board to continue Bloomfield's legacy of caring for all of our citizens, including Medicaid patients. The County Board should not forfeit funds for low-income seniors and other patients who need skilled nursing beds. Closing Bloomfield means shutting down a funding stream to help care for Iowa County patients. It also means a lack of skilled nursing beds for all of us-our neighbors, our families, our friends. In the board's attempt to quietly and quickly finalize the Bloomfield issue they failed to consider their responsibility to their constituents. The county is the only eligible entity that can receive skilled nursing Medicaid funds. Without their facilitation of these dollars the community loses access to them and will suffer.
As the Baby Boomers age, the need for skilled nursing beds takes on even greater urgency. Many Iowa County residents who may need a short- or long-term rehab stay will have to travel further and be isolated from their loved ones. They will also lose the doctors who have known them best. Local physicians do not have privileges to round at nursing homes outside of our area. Nor is it feasible for local doctors to travel long distances to see patients in remote counties.
Patients in a rehab or nursing home setting frequently need medical attention and family support. As local medical providers, we immensely value these patient relationships. We have committed to taking care of our patients through all of their life stages. The closure of Bloomfield has effectively eliminated our ability to care for current and future patients during their time of greatest need.
As your local medical providers it is our privilege, our duty, and our responsibility, to advocate for high-quality health care for all citizens in Iowa County. For generations we have been able to hold our heads high that we live in a community with the moral fortitude to prioritize the care of our most vulnerable community members. The closure of Bloomfield will have long-lasting repercussions including the loss of public funds to care for our local citizens. Bloomfield may have become a logistical and financial challenge, but the Iowa County Board cannot recuse itself from its duty to keep skilled nursing services in our community -- helping our elderly and vulnerable live among us where they belong. 
Dr. Gary Grunow, Family Medicine, Medical Director Bloomfield Rehabilitation Center
Dr. Aaron Dunn, Family Medicine, Medical Director at UHH Nursing and Rehab Center and Mineral Point Care Center
Dr. Peter Mullin, Family Medicine, Medical Director Ingleside Manor
Dr. Jodi McGraw, Family Medicine, Hospice Medical Director
Dr. Emily Jewell, Family Medicine, Chief of Staff
Dr. Joseph Berg, Family Medicine, Vice President
Dr. Timothy Raichle, OB/GYN, Treasurer/Secretary
Dr. Patrick Ryberg, General Surgery, Past President
Dr. Ingrid Berg, Family Medicine Hospitalist
Dr. Karen Berger, Family Medicine
Dr. David Clifton, Radiology
Dr. Kathryn Dalsing, Family Medicine
Dr. Jenifer Dankyi, OB/GYN
Dr. Sarah Fox, Family Medicine
Dr. Colin Graney, Podiatry
Dr. Joseph Hansen, Emergency Medicine
Dr. Rachel Hartline, Family Medicine
Dr. Barbara Hostetler, OB/GYN
Dr. Rachel Keith, Family Medicine
Dr. Christopher Kinonen, Pathology
Dr. Jared Linebarger, General Surgery
Dr. Charles Pearce, Emergency Medicine
Dr. Courtney Reynolds, Family Medicine
Dr. Sara Rybarczyk, Internal Medicine Hospitalist
Dr. Sarah Schaaf, Family Medicine
Dr. Anthony Villare, Orthopedic Surgeon
Matthew Benish, Physician Assistant
Melissa Delaney, Physician Assistant
Cynthia Griffin, Nurse Practitioner
Melissa Messer, Physician Assistant
Rosette Morrey, Nurse Practitioner
Misty Nemitz, Nurse Practitioner
Shelby Seman, Nurse Practitioner
Chelsey Wallace-Bawden, Nurse Practitioner
Stephanie Wanek, Nurse Practitioner
Dawn Weets, Nurse Practitioner