Wisconsin DHS recently removed nursing home ownership information from its public directory of licensed nursing homes.
We all know the horror stories. Patients tied to beds with sheets. Residents left to soak in wheelchairs for hours. Homes so understaffed that basic, life-sustaining care is overlooked. Our loved ones, once again, bouncing in a stretcher en route to the closest Emergency Room.
Stories like these make the search for a nursing home terrifying. That’s why we have fought to stop the sale of our county-owned nursing homes to corporations who don’t mind sacrificing care for the sake of profit.
And that’s why we use DHS’s public directory when we search for care facilities. It’s one of the only tools we have when it comes to finding a place we can trust with the care of those we love.
But DHS just took it away from us.
The STARS leadership team has sent a formal letter demanding that ownership information be restored (printed below). The letter was met with silence. And the problem isn’t fixed.
So we need your help.
Here's what we need: 50 calls to DHS today.
The call takes two minutes. Here's what you do:
Call (608) 266-8481. This is the office that received our letter. Ask for Director Jessica Radtke or Administrator Otis Woods.
If you can't get through, try the Secretary's office: (608) 266-9622.
Tell them: restore the ownership information to the directory of nursing homes now.
Leave STARS' number, (262) 394-6659, and say we expect a call back.
Use the script below, or speak from the heart.
Our full letter is printed below. Read it, share it, send it to your neighbors. Invite them to call.
Make the call today. Let's show them that Wisconsin seniors are paying attention.
CALL SCRIPT
Who to ask for:
Director Jessica Radtke or Administrator Otis Woods (or just say "the Bureau of Nursing Home Resident Care")
What to say:
"Hi, my name is [NAME], I'm a Wisconsin senior calling from [TOWN]. And I am a member of STARS, a Small Town & Rural Seniors organization here in Wisconsin. DHS removed ownership information from its public directory of nursing homes and hasn't restored it. Please restore this information immediately. You can reach us at (262) 394-6659; we expect a call back. Thank you."
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If you get voicemail: leave the same message, with STARS' number, (262) 394-6659, and say we expect a call back.
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Thanks for taking action. We can achieve together what we never could on our own.
~STARS Leadership Team
To: DQA Administrator Otis Woods & Jessica Radtke, Director, Bureau of Nursing Home Resident Care, Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services
CC: Wisconsin DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson
From: STARS Leadership Table
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Administrator Woods & Director Radtke,
Recently, Wisconsin DHS removed nursing home ownership information from the publicly available list of licensed nursing homes in the state. We are reaching out to demand that this information be restored and made available on the site no later than September 1, 2026.
Wisconsin nursing homes are being aggressively targeted by out-of-state investors and corporations. Obscuring ownership information from the people of this state, especially those trying to make decisions about their own care or the care of a family member, places the interests of profiteers over the interests of the people of Wisconsin.
By phone with one of our members, and again in an August 10, 2026 email reply from Director Radtke, you reported that ownership information was removed during a transition to a new data system. We also attempted to find this information through the DHS/DQA Provider Portal, but found that the Skilled Nursing Facility tab does not function. As a result, the only way to acquire this previously easily-available information is to speak directly with someone at DHS/DQA.
Although you shared that ownership details can instead be found through Care Compare, we have found Care Compare to be unacceptable for at least two reasons.
First, although Care Compare provides the ability to search for information about individual facilities, it does not allow the public to track ownership trends across the state, including at-a-glance access to the percentage of nursing homes owned publicly compared to those owned by non-profit organizations or for-profit corporations. This was previously available directly through DHS.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, DHS has, and should continue to, directly provide complete and transparent information to the people of the state, rather than redirecting seniors and their families to a separate federal tool outside DHS's control.
We expect this information to be fully restored to the DHS website by September 1, 2026, and ask that you confirm as soon as it has been completed. Our contact information is provided below. Thank you. We look forward to a swift resolution.
Sincerely,
STARS Wisconsin Leadership Table
Laura Berg, Lake Geneva STARS
Judy Brey, Reedsburg STARS
Scott Doerr, Merrill STARS
Linda Doerr, Merrill STARS
Deb Gill-Dorgan, Elkhorn STARS
Eileen Guthrie, Merrill STARS
Trish Henderson, Reedsburg STARS
Tom Kriegl, Baraboo STARS
Edgar Mosshamer, Williams Bay STARS
Steve Parliament, Cumberland STARS & WI Manufactured Home-Owners Alliance
Rev. Mike Southcombe, Merrill STARS & St. Stephen’s, Merrill