THU AM News: Health care workforce task force to develop action plan in coming months; State’s Digital Equity Plan accepted by federal officials

March 14, 2024

— Members of the Governor’s Task Force on the Health Care Workforce pointed to nursing and long-term care as areas to be addressed.

The task force will spend the next six months putting together an action plan for Gov. Tony Evers aimed at addressing key challenges with this labor pool. That’s according to Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who leads the effort.

Speaking yesterday during a meeting of the task force, Rodriguez noted Evers set a Sept. 1 deadline for the task force’s recommendations, so they can be included in his next state budget plan. He signed the executive order creating the group in January.

“We’re going to be recommending solutions, including possible new policies and programs, modifications to existing programs, and any necessary changes to state statutes related to workforce development, industry innovation, education and training,” said Rodriguez, who is a registered nurse.

Along with creating the action plan focused on state policy, the task force has a secondary goal of identifying options the private sector can pursue to address workforce shortages, she said yesterday. And the task force will also provide ideas on long-term solutions, outside of the scope of the next state budget.

These efforts will begin with gathering information from experts now followed by identifying possible solutions starting in May. By July, the task force will be seeking public feedback and starting to finalize its recommendations.

Department of Workforce Development Chief Economist Dennis Winters yesterday shared an overview on the state’s labor outlook and recent employment trends. Using 2019 as a benchmark, he noted most segments of the health care workforce have exceeded those levels in the post-pandemic era.

“Still, nursing care facilities and elder care facilities … We’re not back up to where we were, we’re losing a lot of slots there,” he said. “So that’s just not the place we’re growing. Offices of physicians, centers, hospitals, health care services are the ones now have recovered and are continuing to grow.”

Meanwhile, Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson referenced a recent Wisconsin Hospital Association report highlighting persistent labor shortages in health care, noting these affect the quality of care statewide.

“In it, you can see clearly that the demand for care is continuing to increase, and we, our workforce, just can’t keep up,” she said. “Their report specifically highlights nurses, direct care workers and allied health professionals, and they’re really the ones who’ve continued to experience these shortages.”

Johnson noted 11% of nursing homes in the state were cited for having substandard care last year — “not because they don’t want to do what’s right, but because they just don’t have the staff to fill all their positions.” DHS has launched a customer service initiative to help address the rising complaints linked to low staffing levels at these facilities, Johnson said.

Meanwhile, acquisitions and consolidations in the nursing home industry are reducing the number of facilities in the state, she added.

“Over the past 10 years, we’ve lost 66 nursing homes in Wisconsin, and 13 in the last year alone,” she said. “These closures really have a negative impact on the people who are living in these facilities. It’s stressful, and it often leads to poor health outcomes.”

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For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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— The state’s Digital Equity Plan has been accepted by federal officials, putting Wisconsin in line for up to $30 million in grant funding.

Gov. Tony Evers and the state Public Service Commission yesterday announced the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has accepted the state’s plan. That means Wisconsin is eligible for Digital Equity Capacity Grant funds to implement its plan over the next five years, according to the release.

PSC Chair Summer Strand says the state’s plan “will help us address persistent barriers to internet access, affordability, and adoption” in Wisconsin.

After the NTIA allocated about $950,000 to the state for outreach and engagement efforts in late 2022, state officials held a number of meetings and conducted surveys related to broadband access and other digital equity issues.

“I would like to thank all the residents who participated in the development process along with our dedicated partners who shaped this plan over the last year by providing valuable insight and offering long-term solutions to bridge Wisconsin’s digital divide,” Strand said.

The PSC released a draft version of the 135-page plan in September for public comment before submitting it to the NTIA. It covered a wide array of goals and strategies for accelerating the state’s expansion of affordable broadband internet, with a focus on underserved communities.

The federal grant program was created by the Digital Equity Act, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The act provides $2.75 billion for three grant programs, the first of which provided planning funding.

The NTIA website has more details on the $1.44 billion Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program — which will be administered starting later this year — and the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, slated for 2025.

See the plan and the release.

— Attorney General Josh Kaul has announced timeshare exit company Relief Solutions International and its owners will pay a $2.5 million penalty and refund its Wisconsin customers following a DOJ lawsuit that began in 2022.

In a release yesterday, the state Department of Justice said it has secured a legal judgment against RSI, LLC — which has been doing business under the name Relief Solutions International — and owners Philip Russell Turner II and Burton Cummings.

The defendants sent thousands of illegal mailers to state residents to “lure” them to in-person sales presentations for the timeshare exit services, according to the DOJ. State residents who attended these presentations paid “significant upfront fees” for these services, the release shows.

Along with the $2.5 million penalty, the defendants are required to pay more than $20,000 to refund specific consumers in Wisconsin. And other state residents who paid the company can request refunds for up to five years by petitioning the court, DOJ says.

Defendants are also permanently barred from marketing or selling timeshare exit services in the state and from doing any direct marketing in Wisconsin without notifying DATCP, which originally referred the case to the state DOJ.

“This judgment provides relief for Wisconsin consumers and holds the owners of this timeshare exit company accountable. Thank you to those at DOJ and DATCP whose stellar work led to this result,” Kaul said in a statement. “We urge Wisconsinites who hired Relief Solutions International to contact our Public Protection Unit.”

See more in the release.

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