Governor Evers Delivers 2023 State of the State Address; Highlights Health Care Workforce

On Tuesday, January 24, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) delivered the 2023 State of the State (SOTS) address. Evers included in his remarks his proposal to invest in Wisconsin’s health care workforce.

See a full transcription of Gov. Evers’ SOTS speech here.

In his speech, Evers said:

“But we’ll also need investments in targeted industries that we know have been hit hard by the pandemic, including in our healthcare industry. I’ll propose a historic, $50 million investment to bolster Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce—to expand our long-term care providers, increase the number of mental health providers and psychiatrists, and expand the Wisconsin Nurse Educator program to provide high-quality education for our future nurses.”

Included in the Governor’s supplementary materials for his SOTS address include more details on the more than $50 million to increase Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce through innovative and multifaceted strategies:

  • $22.5 million to establish an ongoing Innovation Grant program for healthcare employers to engage in improved recruitment and retention of long-term care providers;
  • $8 million in support to the WisCaregivers Careers program to expand the long-term care workforce

WHCA/WiCAL will continue advocacy efforts with the Governor and the Legislature in advance of the Governor formally presenting his version of the 2023-25 State Budget, which will occur on February 15.