Bruce Roesler Chief Executive Officer | Official Website
Bruce Roesler Chief Executive Officer | Official Website
Leaders from The Richland Hospital and Clinics (TRHC) and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health have announced a new partnership aimed at addressing rural health disparities in Wisconsin. This collaboration is part of the Orion Initiative, a program developed by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health to improve health outcomes for people living in rural areas through innovative collaborations.
Rural communities often face greater challenges related to physical, social, and mental health compared to urban populations. This issue is particularly significant in Wisconsin. TRHC CEO Bruce Roesler expressed optimism about the partnership's potential impact on both the organization and the community: “With particular optimism, we come together today to talk about the future of our organization, how we embark on this new partnership with the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and how that’s going to make a difference to our organization and community.”
Dr. Amy Kind, Orion Initiative chief executive officer and associate dean for Social Health Sciences and Programs at UW School of Medicine and Public Health, highlighted the importance of this inaugural partnership: “Once fully implemented, the work coming out of this partnership will serve as a model for establishing similar partnerships and collaborative efforts through the Orion Initiative to address healthcare challenges in rural areas across Wisconsin.”
The initiative plans to launch strategic pilot projects throughout rural Wisconsin in upcoming months. In its initial phase, the TRHC-Orion collaboration aims to create pathways for physicians to support each other through shared resources while increasing patient access to specialty care without requiring long-distance travel.
Dr. James Dickman III from TRHC emphasized difficulties faced by physicians pursuing rural practice: “Over time, physicians who want to go into rural practice find it difficult to get experience in specialties,” he said. “Through the Orion Initiative, select TRHC providers will be able to gain the experience necessary to provide specialty care in Richland Center.”
For more information about this initiative, visit med.wisc.edu/orion/. The Richland Hospital and Clinics is known for its commitment to caring, educating, and healing. It operates an independent medical practice across three locations including rural clinics in Spring Green and Muscoda as well as a critical access hospital located at its primary site in Richland Center.
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