Madison – Today the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians (WAFP) announced it has selected Representative John Jagler (R-Watertown) as a “Friend of Family Medicine” for his support of effective health care policy during the 2013-14 session. 

 

In a message announcing the selection, WAFP president David Eitrheim stated: “The members of WAFP feel [Jagler’s] overall body of work during the recent legislative session exemplifies our mission and illustrates a keen awareness of legislative issues important to family physicians practicing in Wisconsin.”

 

Two of the most important health care measures that passed this session were developed based on recommendations from the Speaker’s Task Force on Mental Health, a bipartisan group of 11 legislators including Jagler that travelled throughout the state in order to hear testimony from over 70 experts. One of the new laws, Act 127, created a child psychiatry consultation program to give primary care physicians more tools to treat children with mental health needs. The other piece of legislation was Act 128, which established a primary care and psychiatry grant program to help place physicians and psychiatrists in underserved areas.