Valued Voice

The first application period since 2023 Wisconsin Act 185 updated the WHA-crafted Graduate Medical Education (GME) “Grow Our Own” training grants opened on July 29, and WHA members can take advantage of the enhancements created by the new law to expand their existing GME programs.
 
Since its inception over a decade ago, the “Grow Our Own” Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) program has funded the creation of 18 new residency programs across all areas of Wisconsin which produce more than 60 new physicians each year. To date, the grant program has provided $36 million in state support to new residency programs or existing programs to expand capacity. You can find more information about the Graduate Medical Education grants, including a map and listing of all grant recipients, on the WHA website. 



The updates to the grants through enactment of Senate Bill 643 as 2023 Wisconsin Act 185 build upon previous successes in expanding the physician workforce in Wisconsin and are based on WHA’s 86% equation: Wisconsin-raised, Wisconsin-educated, and Wisconsin-trained physicians have an 86% chance of staying in Wisconsin to practice. If they cannot find a residency spot in Wisconsin, the likelihood they will practice here drops by 30%.
 
Act 185 removes a per-hospital cap of three residents that has prevented some residency programs from expanding further and requires DHS to renew funding for qualified grantees going forward, creating greater sustainability in the program. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services partnered with the Wisconsin Hospital Association in support of Senate Bill 643.
 
The Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion Grant Request for Applications (RFA) opportunity, is found at the DHS Public Notice site under the link: 
https://publicnotices.wisconsin.gov/NoticeView.asp?lnid=1538968
 
RFA applications are due no later than noon Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Start-date for grants awarded under this RFA is July 1, 2025.
 
Apply now to utilize a DHS GME expansion grant to grow Wisconsin’s physician workforce! Contact WHA’s Ann Zenk if you have questions about “Grow Our Own” grants or any other health care workforce issue.