Aurora to Close Sister Bay Clinic

Aurora announced it will close its Sister Bay Health Center at the end of November. Photo by Myles Dannhausen Jr.

Health care options for northern Door County residents will get slimmer at the end of November. That’s when Aurora Health Care will close its Aurora Health Center in Sister Bay, consolidating those services with its location in Sturgeon Bay. 

The move is effective Dec. 1, 2022, according to a letter that Aurora sent to patients dated Nov. 1. The letter said the center’s “well-established primary-care colleagues and Urgent Care in Sturgeon Bay are ready to continue care without interruption.”

In a statement emailed to the Pulse Wednesday, Aurora said the closure was due “to inconsistent patient volumes.”

But for northern Door County residents, the move is a big blow. It takes 45 minutes to drive from Sister Bay to Sturgeon Bay, and more than an hour from points in Liberty Grove. 

Aurora bought the northern Door County clinic in 2005.

Door County Medical Center plans to open its new, $14.5 million clinic in Sister Bay in the spring of 2023. That clinic will replace the medical center’s Fish Creek clinic, with expanded rehabilitation facilities, behavioral health services and a pharmacy. Brian Stephens, the CEO of DCMC, said the Aurora closure came as a surprise to his team. In response they are seeking a full-time family practice physician to fill the need at the new clinic.