MILWAUKEE — In a culmination of in-depth research into the state of Wisconsin’s healthcare system, the Governor’s Task Force on Healthcare Workforce released a report including recommendations for budget allocations and programs to move the state forward.
The Task Force’s Chair and former nurse, Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez, joined Spanning the State to discuss the recommendations and just how impactful this could be. Lt. Gov. Rodriguez and her team met with healthcare experts and analysts across the state to build a set of 10 recommendations, released publicly here.
“These recommendations will be proposed to the Governor’s Office to say ‘Hey, we want to put this in the budget. We want to be able to do these interventions moving forward.,'” she explained. “The budget office will put a pricetag with those.”
Although several of the initiatives would require an allocation of the state’s healthcare budget, Lt. Gov. Rodriguez hopes others will help save taxpayers money and improve the cost and availability of healthcare throughout Wisconsin.
“We actually have some revenue-generating recommendations, which are to expand BadgerCare or Medicaid within Wisconsin, and that is close to $2 billion over the biennium that Wisconsin taxpayers would save that we can use towards many of these interventions,” Lt. Gov. Rodriguez told WTMJ.
Expanding Wisconsin’s network of nurses by breaking down educational barriers.
One way Wisconsin’s healthcare network is already improving is through a new apprenticeship program focused on targeting nursing, which will help those who wish to pursue nursing as a career a route to receive excellent exposure, increase job placement opportunities and navigate the tricky student debt issue associated with the field.
“UW Health is taking their certified nursing assistants who currently work for them, full-time wages, full-time benefits, paying for their tuition, helping them with wraparound services, and they are going to graduate with their RN degree with no debt,” Lt. Gov. Rodriguez said.
She reflected on her own upbringing, and how at 49, she “may or may not be still paying off my student loans” from her nursing career. While she noted that taking out those loans was worth it for her, other prospective healthcare workers may not be able to navigate the expenses of nursing education, therefore lowering the number of prospective healthcare providers in the state.
The Madison-based program is one of the first of its kind and could counteract the barriers in the nursing field. Lt. Gov. Rodriguez told Spanning the State a similar program may be coming for respiratory therapists.
TOP HEADLINES FROM THE 620 WTMJ NEWS TEAM:
- Poll finds increased dissatisfaction with Wisconsin public schools
- ‘This is awful for us’ – Competitors get up close view of Baird Center
- New parking procedure is working as Brewers address ‘number 1 complaint from fans’
- Wisconsin Dells Middle School Counselor arrested for alleged sexual relationship with student
- Trial suspended for 15-year-old accused of killing Prince McCree, pending competency evaluation
WATCH: Fond du Lac officers rescue missing 3-year-old lost in cornfield using thermal drone
