Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz at Just Right: Cakes, Coffee, and Gifts in Wausau. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz discussed a proposal to help rural healthcare shortages nationwide with WSAU News Director Mike Leischer on Thursday.
“We’re seeing consolidation of hospitals from one town to another, and that is an incredible burden,” said Walz. “Thing thing I hear is when we lose these hospitals, we also lose the workers that are there.”
The plan includes recruiting 10,000 healthcare workers to rural areas through incentives like scholarships and loan forgiveness, then hoping the small-town lifestyle grows on them. “We help them pay for their medical education and incentivize them to stay. You get your education, and instead of carrying that big load of debt we’ll help pay it off- but we are going to ask you to give us some years in these communities. I guarantee you most of those people will stay.
[We know] it’s hard to get people there, but once they are there they don’t leave. The quality of life is so strong,” added Walz.
RELATED: Minnesota Governor, VP Nominee Tim Walz Visits Wausau
Walz made his comments Thursday morning as Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris was touring the state. The Harris/Walz ticket has made multiple visits to Wisconsin in the last month including a supporters rally with Walz in Wausau four weeks ago. Earlier this week Governor Tony Evers and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also stumped for Harris via the “blue wall bus tour.”
Polling continues to show a tight race between Harris and former President Donald Trump for Wisconsin’s ten electoral votes.
Editors note: WSAU News was offered an opportunity to interview Walz by the Harris campaign earlier this week. Questions were not pre-approved or shared with Walz in advance. You can hear the complete, unedited audio in the player at the top of this story
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