10/20/2026

N. WISCONSIN - As Wisconsin communities face rising healthcare costs and worker shortages, a new report highlights how immigrant workers are essential to keeping the state’s care system running – and why supporting them benefits residents across the state. Immigrants make up six percent of Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce, including 12 percent of its doctors, according to findings from Kids Forward and Immigration Research Initiative. Amanda Martinez, who works with Kids Forward, says recognizing these contributions is especially important as federal policies create fear and uncertainty for families.

                0:12  "In rural counties specifically, immigrants account for 9% of doctors helping provide care in communities that often face greater challenges in attracting and retaining healthcare professionals."

More than half of Wisconsin’s 72 counties are designated health professional shortage areas. This impacts roughly one-point-seven-million residents, with rural and lower-income communities hit the hardest. Martinez warns federal policies could worsen these shortages and limit access to care for Wisconsin residents.