CARE for our Community's Future

Meriter Foundation

Give Now

Nurse listening to child's heart with child laughing.jpg

Our community is facing a mounting healthcare staffing shortage.

Together, we can cultivate a robust, talented and diverse workforce to meet the increasing healthcare needs of our community.

Every person in our community should have access to expert, compassionate healthcare—now and for generations to come.

Give Now

With your help, we can create:

Healthcare staffing levels that maintain optimal patient access, care, safety and outcomes.
A diverse workforce of caregivers to advocate for all patients in our community and address health inequities.
A healthy community for everyone.

Your gift—of any amount—will bring our community closer to ensuring no patient is ever turned away from the care they need.

"We endured a pandemic, where every team member's job changed—sometimes daily. I have seen nurses start and end their careers over the course of these two very long years. I have assisted with several retirement parties over the years where nurses are retiring from Meriter after 40 years.

"We absolutely must provide the same standard of care, but I fear that if the shortage grows; the vacancies will exponentially increase because the staff who are still here will be asked to do more with less help."

- Renee Bukovich, MS, RN, NPD-BC, Manager, Nursing Education at UnityPoint Health – Meriter

UnityPoint Health – Meriter is uniquely built to address this problem our community is facing.

Meriter has the systems and infrastructure in place to generate a far-reaching impact:

A community healthcare system, offering comprehensive primary and specialty care, including the busiest birthing center in Wisconsin.
Five-star rated—the highest rating possible—from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Hospital Quality.
Named to the 2022 Forbes "America's Best Employers by State" list.
A long history of extensive teaching and training operations.
Innovative Pathways Programs showing highly successful outcomes—programs have been replicated across multiple states and organizations.
An average tenure for registered nurses (RNs) of 10 years.
Well-established relationships with community partners and educational institutions.
A partner of UW Health.