Close to 1,100 hospital leaders, employees, trustees and volunteers, including participants from Columbus Community Hospital (CCH), descended on Madison on April 28 to participate in the Wisconsin Hospital Association’s (WHA) Advocacy Day event. Advocacy Day is an annual event that connects hospital supporters with their legislators in Madison so lawmakers can learn how issues impact local hospitals and communities.
“This year’s event was the largest in WHA’s history and one of, if not the largest event of its kind held in Madison each year. We are proud to have been a part of this tremendous day,” said Dana Spychalla, Director of Marketing for CCH. “With the state budget process in full swing, we were able to talk with our legislators about key issues, like Medicaid funding and protecting Wisconsin’s Worker’s Compensation program.”
The record-breaking crowd heard from the always popular bipartisan legislative panel of State Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R – River Falls), State Senator Jen Shilling (D – La Crosse), State Representative Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis) and State Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). Advocacy Day attendees also heard from keynote speakers Tucker Carlson, veteran journalist and political commentator, and Governor Scott Walker.
This year 650 attendees spent time in the afternoon meeting with elected officials in the State Capitol. Advocates made sure their legislators were aware of the role hospitals play in communities across the state in providing high quality, high value health care and how the legislature can support those efforts through the policies it enacts.
“All of us at CCH are proud of Wisconsin’s reputation of providing some of the highest quality, highest value care in the nation,” said Spychalla. “Advocacy Day allows us to help legislators understand how their policy decisions can help protect our local hospital, patients and communities.”
