Governor Tony Evers, and members of his administration kicked off a statewide tour Monday, highlighting the newly created Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce.
Gov. Evers stopped at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College to tour to the Health Science Center.
The Health Science Program at Southwest Tech offers,“12 programs encompassing both behindthe- scenes and direct patient care specialties,” according to their website.
Those 12 programs include, Cancer Information Management (CIM), Health Information Technician (HIT), Medical Coding Specialist, Medical Laboratory Technician, Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Midwife (Direct Entry) Nursing Assistant (CNA), Nursing (Associate Degree), and Physical Therapist Assistant.
During the Governor’s 2024 State of the State Address on Tuesday Jan. 23, he declared 2024, “the Year of the Worker in Wisconsin,” and announced new eorts by his administration to build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy.
Part of which includes the creation the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce, which was announced during the Governor’s address, as well as launching the state's first teacher apprenticeship pilot program, and establishing the Office of Employee Engagement and Retention for the State of Wisconsin workforce, which will focus on recruiting and retaining state employees.
The task force, chaired by Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who is a registered nurse and holds master’s degrees in nursing and public health, will be charged with studying the workforce challenges facing the state’s healthcare system, including recruitment and retention, identifying ways to improve patient care and alleviate the burdens on the healthcare workforce, exploring educational and training pathways to grow a sustainable healthcare workforce, and creating an action plan with solutions r e l at e d t o wo r k fo rc e development, industry innovation, education, and training.
“According to the Department of Workforce Development, Wisconsin faces a potential deficit of 20,000 nurses by 2040. Between 2020 and 2030, Wisconsin’s healthcare industry will see nearly 32,000 annual openings across occupations. So, last year, my administration launched one of the country’s first-ever Registered Nurse apprenticeship pathways to help address the demand for nurses. And we launched a new initiative to train over 10,000 certified direct care professionals to address our state’s shortage of caregivers,” Gov. Evers stated during his address.
He went to say, “There’s more we have to do to address our healthcare industry’s chronic challenges. Next week, I’ll sign an executive order creating a new Healthcare Workforce Task Force focused on finding longterm solutions to our state’s healthcare industry challenges and make recommendations for me to consider in my next biennial budget.”
Gov. Evers and his staz was led on their tour by SWTC President Jason Wood, and Dr. Cynde Larsen, Chief Academic Ocer/Executive Dean.
Before, the tour, Gov.
Evers was introduced to Southwest Tech’s Need for Nurses. All seven of the critical access hospitals in Southwest Tech’s District, Southwest Health, Crossing Rivers Health, Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County, Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics, Grant Regional Health, Upland Hills, and The Richland Hospital and Clinics signed an agreement in 2023 pledging support of $75,000 each over the next three years to expand the Southwest Tech associate degree Nursing (ADN) course offerings and allow for continuous enrollment, retention, and completion.
The sponsorships will also allow ADN students to enroll in January in addition to the fall semester.
A number of certified nursing assistant program students were surprised by a “pop in” by the governor during their first day of class. Another stop was at the human patient simulator lab, where two first year surgical tech students, Maci Stevens, Iowa Grant, and Brand Oeschsle, Fennimore, showed Gov. Evers how to properly glove and sterilize, and then had him glove and sterilize after their instructions, after which the governor proclaimed he was “ready for surgery.”
Lastly, Gov. Evers was introduced to Southwest Tech’s new Radiography program, which as was explained, is essential for learning locally and working locally.
