|
This summer, WPHCA’s Board of Directors, including CEOs from all 19 Community Health Centers in Wisconsin, approved a new state policy agenda. Priorities focus on strengthening the workforce, with a special focus on dental and behavioral health team members. In particular, WPHCA encourages lawmakers to:
- Provide state funding for Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) to conduct early education and outreach for students interested in health professions, specifically targeted at rural and under-served communities. Community Health Centers partner closely with AHECs, which are regional non-profits that offer a variety of education and training programs aimed at increasing the diversity and distribution of health care professionals, serving over 4,000 learners annually. Learn more about AHECs.
- Continue to improve license portability and streamline systems through interstate compacts and ensuring that all qualified foreign-trained professionals, especially those already licensed in other states, can practice in Wisconsin.
- Support the ongoing sustainability of an initial $20 million investment in oral health professional training at the Wisconsin Technical College System for oral health professionals through the last biennial budget.
- Expand the Community Health Center State grant to address an exclusion for two Wisconsin Community Health Centers and reach more patients. Through this grant, Community Health Centers provide school-based mental health care, food programs, and more.
WPHCA is eagerly tracking the implementation of several bills, including Dental Therapy and Pharmacist Billing in Wisconsin.
| 
