EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WLAX/WEAU) – Governor Tony Evers visited UW Eau Claire’s Nursing and Health Sciences Departments today (11/16/23) and talked to students and staff about the shortage of healthcare workers in Wisconsin. Evers says this visit comes right after Republican lawmakers ended a special session that he called for in August.

The goal of that session was to take up a plan the governor proposed to address workforce issues that includes a grant to invest over $100 million in higher education. Evers explains, “That grant really helps prepare people for the future. And you heard some of the that the folks that are going to be graduating will be practicing in rural Wisconsin, which is great. We need more. And, in order to do that we need to make sure that the state steps up.”

Evers says the budget that he signed this year included no funding increases for the University System, but he is working with State Senators to find more money for the Universities of Wisconsin.