Fort HealthCare Featured for Work in Advancing Health Equity in Rural Communities

Fort HealthCare is featured in a new report released last week by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) demonstrating Fort HealthCare’s work, along with hospitals around the state, to provide quality care. Fort HealthCare’s initiative, “Advancing Health Equity in Rural Communities,” is one of many case studies featured in the 2024 Wisconsin Health Care Quality Report published by the statewide association.

Released annually, the Wisconsin Health Care Quality Report features some of the numerous initiatives and outcomes associated with quality improvement and patient safety efforts taken by hospitals and health systems across Wisconsin. Included in those successes was Fort HealthCare’s project, “Advancing Health Equity in Rural Communities,” which describes how a shared vision among rural community partners has built a foundation for identifying and reducing health disparities. This shared vision brought together eight partners to form the Rock River Health Care Network (RRHCN). The network focused on advancing access to primary care for lower-income individuals and achieving the Federally Qualified Health Center Look-A-Like designation for the Rock River Community Clinic in December 2022.

“We are honored to be recognized in the 2024 WHA Quality Report for our dedication to advancing health equity,” said Michael Anderson, MD, President & CEO of Fort HealthCare. “Our collaboration with community partners reflects our shared vision of creating a healthier community. We are grateful for their support and look forward to continuing our work to address health disparities.”

Beyond the Fort HealthCare case study featured in the Wisconsin Health Care Quality Report, WHA provides a wide variety of health care metrics through its online CheckPoint website. Launched in 2004, CheckPoint was the first-ever statewide health care quality reporting initiative in the nation – establishing Wisconsin hospitals as a leader in monitoring, tracking, and improving care outcomes. Since its launch, this publicly available tool has grown to measure performance metrics on over forty-five key metrics on topics running from births, infections, patient experience and more.

“When compared to other states, Wisconsin ranks among the top states for hospital ratings,” said Nadine Allen, Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) Chief Quality Officer. “We would like to thank all health care professionals and staff at Fort HealthCare who work tirelessly towards achieving this goal. Together, we can overcome any challenges and continue to provide exceptional health care for our patients.”

Both the 2024 Wisconsin Health Care Quality Report and CheckPoint quality reporting tool are available for review by visiting wha.org.

Editor’s note: The above press release was provided by Fort HealthCare.