On Monday, February 19, Door County Medical Center welcomed Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez to its main campus in Sturgeon Bay. The Lt. Governor spent the day traveling throughout Door and Kewaunee counties stopping at various healthcare facilities. She heads up a new healthcare workforce taskforce and wanted to meet area healthcare leaders to discuss worker retention and recruitment efforts. She also sought feedback on areas the State could improve policy to help health systems better serve their patients.
During the meeting at DCMC, leaders had an opportunity to share an update on the organization's workforce and discuss strategies for areas in need of additional staffing with the Lt. Governor and her staff. There was also discussion about programs implemented to curb the nursing shortage, such as DCMC's SPARC program, which eliminates barriers to obtaining a nursing degree by offering on the job training for various nursing positions. The Lt. Governor offered resources and contacts to continue building DCMC's programs.
After the meeting, Lt. Governor Rodriguez toured the DCMC Dental Clinic and learned about the services it offers to Medicaid participants and low-income individuals who don't have insurance. Staff also shared about the many outreach events outside of regular dental appointments, such as education and oral cancer screenings.
The Lt. Governor has an extensive healthcare background as an RN who worked in various leadership roles for over 20 years as well as public health and population health management. She also served as an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information about SPARC or our Dental Clinic, please visit the following links: