You might see one of the possible solutions to addressing the workforce challenges seen at the states’ hospitals already employed by Door County Medical Center. Hospital officials hosted Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez earlier this week to show her how they meet the community’s needs at a time when rural healthcare is taking on an even greater importance. Rodriguez is leading the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce, which is looking at the different challenges the industry faces when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees, improving patient care while alleviating burdens, and exploring educational and training pathways. Door County Medical Center President and CEO Brian Stephens was proud to share with her the success of the hospital’s SPARC (Start the Path to a Rewarding Career) program, which brought on-the-job training for Certified Nursing Assistants, Certified Medical Assistants, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Registered Nurses inside the hospital with help from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. He says it has been a cost they have been willing to bear to address a problem, but it might be a way the state can get involved.

Stephens says the workforce challenges in hospitals have been going on for years and are hitting rural areas like Door County hard because their employees are retiring. At the same time, the aging population that requires the most care in those communities continues to grow.