Door County Medical Center is not immune to the challenges other rural healthcare providers face nationwide. In late January, Hospital Sisters Health System announced they would shut down two hospitals and all of its Prevea Health locations in western Wisconsin. They blamed the long-lasting impacts of the pandemic, inflation, workforce constraints, local market challenges, and other industry-wide trends. One of those trends is the aging population in rural areas. According to the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, people over 65 represent 20 percent of the 1.46 million rural population. In comparison, 15.3 percent of the 4.32 million people in the state’s urban areas are over 65.

Door County Medical Center President and CEO Brian Stephens says the baby boomer population is starting to require more care at a time when many of their employees are retiring from the industry. Couple that with many seniors using Medicare and Medicaid to pay for their services, Stephens adds that it is becoming much harder to operate financially.

Stephens is proud of his employees for helping the hospital think of ways to provide the same, if not better, care more efficiently. He is also happy that the last budget included increases in Medicaid reimbursement payments but adds that Wisconsin is still among the lowest paying in those regards.