Valued Voice

On Jan. 10, 2025, Spooner Health hosted three state legislators to discuss issues facing rural health care in Wisconsin. The state representatives in attendance included Rep. Dave Armstrong, Rep. Chanz Green, and Rep. Duke Tucker. WHA Senior Vice President of Governmental Relations Kyle O’Brien joined Spooner Health’s senior leadership team for the meeting.

The discussion focused on several key challenges facing rural health care, including workforce shortages, the impact of “middlemen” on health care costs, strategies to strengthen rural hospitals in light of several closures across the state due to low profit margins, and the importance of keeping the patient as the focus when navigating through insurance requirements and authorizationsPictured, L to R: Kyle O’Brien, Senior Vice President, Governmental Relations, Wisconsin Hospital Association; Rep. Chanz Green, Rebecca Busch, Chief Financial Officer, Spooner Health; Cindy Rouzer, Human Resources Director, Spooner Health; Clint Miller, Chief Nursing Officer, Spooner Health; Rep. Dave Armstrong; Rep. Duke Tucker; Mike Schafer, Chief Executive Officer, Spooner Health..