Oct. 1, 2026

On Deck with Samantha Peck

It’s been a minute! Since saying goodbye to Megan Polster, somehow an entire Wisconsin summer has come and gone! While our regular updates had a brief hiatus, we certainly have not been slowing down behind the scenes, and I am so glad we’re back because we have two exciting things to share!

First, some well-deserved bragging rights for Wisconsin hospitals! Wisconsin tied for the most hospitals in the country earning five stars for patient experience in the latest CMS ratings. That is an impressive accomplishment for any hospital, but I want to give an extra shout-out to all the Critical Access Hospitals reaching that particular honor. For our lowest-volume hospitals, getting enough completed HCAHPS surveys to receive a star rating at all can be a challenge, which makes it especially exciting to see Wisconsin CAHs represented among the top-rated 250 hospitals in the nation. Congratulations to the teams doing the work every day to make patients feel heard, respected and well cared for.

In other good news, we have officially received our Flex Notice of Award and are currently getting the new grant year underway. Most of the opportunities to participate at this point are based on cohorts we have built using available data, but in November we will be releasing funding opportunities that will be open to all CAHs. So now is a good time to start thinking about improvement projects you may want to do in the HCAHPS field, Finance and Operations, and Behavioral Health Integration.

Finally, looking ahead to the new year we know changes to Medicaid are on a lot of minds right now. As we think about how WORH can best help rural hospitals understand, prepare for and respond to those changes, we want to hear from you. What questions are coming up in your organization? What impacts are you preparing for? And what information, resources or support would be most useful? Email us at info@worh.org.

Due Soon

Due TODAY: Hybrid Hospital-Wide Readmissions. For information about this newly updated measure, including a training video for how to submit, visit this link.
Due Nov. 2: Q3 of EDTC measures
Due Nov. 20: CAH Quality Inventory Assessment

Grants

Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation Community Grants

Amount: $5,000
Application due date: October 15
Who can apply: Nonprofit organizations recommended by physicians; preferential consideration to members of the Wisconsin Medical Society.
Description: Funding for programs to improve health through education and outreach, including health literacy, healthcare access, ACES, behavioral health, and disease prevention

Dental Trade Alliance Foundation Grants

Amount: Up to $25,000
Application due date: November 30
Who can apply: Organizations with 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), or 509(a) status, government agencies
Description: Grants for projects to increase access to and utilization of oral healthcare.

Learn

Flex-Sponsored Opportunities

WORH EMS Operations and Management Course

Thursdays, Jan. 7-28 and Feb. 18-25, 2027; 6:30-8:45 p.m. on Zoom.

Gain the tools and insights you need to strengthen your skills to manage the operational and administrative responsibilities of EMS
12 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) over a 13.5-hour course
Cost: $45

RWHC Nurse Residency Program

Cohort 1: October 2026-September 2027

Cohort 2: February 2027-January 2028

Nurse residents attend monthly interactive sessions focused on building confidence, critical thinking, and practical skills.
Participants also receive a Mental Health First Aid Certification.
Location: RWHC Office & Training Center, 880 Independence Lane, Sauk City, WI 53583
Cost varies by membership and number of attendees.

Other Opportunities

NOSORH Workforce+ Rural Healthcare Workforce Certification

First Cohort launches Oct. 8

Participants will engage in 12 live virtual sessions over nine months led by expert faculty, covering the full employee lifecycle in rural healthcare workforce development.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,995 per participant. Group pricing may be available for cohorts of 5+ participants.

PFFCF Chippewa Falls First Responders Peer Support Training

Friday, Oct. 9-Sunday, Oct. 11, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Participants will leave prepared to facilitate several group crisis interventions—specifically Crisis Management Briefings, Defusings, and Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISD).
Location: Chippewa Falls Fire and Emergency Services: 1301 Chippewa Crossing Blvd Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
Cost: $50 or no cost for MAP Teams

WHA Substance Use Disorders Management Boot Camp

Thursday, Oct. 15-Friday, Oct. 16, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Participants will explore practical approaches to opioid and alcohol use disorders, buprenorphine treatment, harm reduction, stimulant use disorder, pain management, benzodiazepine tapering, peer support and recovery and other challenges commonly encountered in clinical practice.
Location: Bemis Conference Center, De Pere
Cost: FREE. Participants may earn up to 9.75 CEUs.

Wisconsin Safe Care Summit

Thursday, Oct. 22, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

This event gives Wisconsin health workforce practical skills for identifying and responding to domestic violence — and the local referral connections to back them up.
Location: Hilton Appleton Paper Valley Hotel
Cost: FREE

Apostle Islands in Bayfield, Wisconsin, by Ted Engler

Tuition Reimbursement

Wisconsin EMS Education Reimbursement Program (2025 Wisconsin Act 35)

Covers tuition and required materials for EMS training programs completed through Wisconsin Technical Colleges.
Paid on a first-come, first served basis while funding is available.
Based on net cost after other financial aid has been applied.
Students and employers may apply. Program and certification or licensure must be complete.

Student Opportunities

The 2026 Award for the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative’s Hermes Monato Prize of $3,000 for best rural health paper was awarded to UW-Eau Claire student Sarah Schrauth. Schrauth’s paper, "Social Infrastructure as a Determinant of Rural Health and Economic Resilience," was among the many reviewed by a panel of judges that included WORH Executive Director John Eich.

All UW students and recent graduates are encouraged to submit papers by June 1, 2027, for the 2027 prize. Judging criteria and submission information are available at
rwhc.com/Awards/Annual-Monato-Essay

National Rural Health Day 2026 is Thursday, Nov. 19!

You can get ready to celebrate by:

Exploring this National Rural Health Day Toolkit from NOSORH
Nominating a colleague or organization to be recognized as a WORH Community Health Hero! Community Health Heroes — organizations, programs, coalitions and individuals — will be featured on WORH social media, this newsletter and on the WORH website. Nominate your Community Health Hero at this link by Nov. 5!