WisMed Foundation to donate PPE to practices serving vulnerable populations

The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation (Foundation) can help with personal protective equipment (PPE)! The Foundation and their COVID-19 Response Fund partnered with the PPE for Wisconsin GoFundMe campaign to provide PPE to independent practices serving vulnerable populations.

In order to rapidly distribute the PPE to areas that need it the most, the Foundation will leverage its expertise in reaching out to unaffiliated medical offices that are serving vulnerable, low-income and rural populations.

Madison-based Fenrici Brands, in collaboration with the non-profit Center for Community Stewardship, launched the GoFundMe campaign in March to purchase PPE for frontline caregivers in Wisconsin. Today, the campaign has raised nearly $20,000 from more than 140 donors and 3 organizational sponsors, gener8tor, WisMed Assure and the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Marje Murray, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation, noted “Given our mission to advance the health of the people of Wisconsin, we are excited to partner with PPE for Wisconsin to help protect those on the frontlines of this pandemic.”

Mike Zhang, CEO of Fenrici Brands, co-sponsor of the PPE for Wisconsin campaign, said “We are grateful for those donors who are supporting our doctors, nurses and other frontline caregivers. We are excited to have the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation take the helm in purchasing and distributing the PPE to frontline caregivers.”

If your practice is having difficulty either obtaining or paying for masks, respirators or gowns, please contact Marje Murray, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation at [email protected] or 608.886.4276. For more information, visit foundation.wismed.org/covid.

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Opportunity for health professionals to order PPE

The Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) is proudly offering an opportunity for all physicians and health care professionals throughout Wisconsin to order personal protective equipment (PPE). Thanks to the wonderful response, the first bulk order has been placed and health care teams at more than 30 organizations will soon have their protective equipment.

The Society hopes to keep the momentum building to help meet the need of Wisconsin’s clinicians. Please order PPE or share the link with health professionals in need.*

Due to the bulk minimum requirements of the supplier, the PPE will be shipped sooner as more orders are placed. There are currently seven state societies ordering via Action PPE with 16 more in discussion. Those states that have received their orders have been happy with the product.

 Thank you to everyone who has placed an order!

To date, orders have been placed for:

• 33 organizations
• 26,450 masks
• 6,750 KN95 masks
• 2,850 gowns

Minimum order requirement is $500; there is not an upper limit.

The Society placed an order with Action PPE on Friday, May 15 and has partnered with an organization in Madison to coordinate a site which will provide secure product delivery, preparation and distribution. Delivery is expected the last week of May or the first week of June.

Thank you for all that you do to take care of the people of Wisconsin!

* The Society is not profiting from these sales.

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Governor Evers announces new funding from CARES Act

Earlier this week Governor Evers announced new funding to help address the various impacts of COVID-19. On Tuesday, the Governor announced the creation of a $1 billion effort to support COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, operations and resources for local communities. The state will be allocating $260 million for testing and $75 million for contact tracing.

The funds will be allocated as follows:

• $202 million for test kits
• $3 million for local preparedness grants
• $45 million for local health department funding
• $10 million for public health testing coordinators
• Up to $50 million to local and tribal health departments for contact tracing
• $150 million for PPE
• $40 million for ventilators
• $445 million for hospital systems and communities to handle COVID-19 cases over the summer and fall

On Monday, Gov. Evers announced the creation of $75 million small business assistance initiative as a part of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s (WEDC) We’re All In initiative. The initiative would create separate $2,500 cash grants to small businesses with 20 or fewer FTEs impacted by COVID-19 that have not already received WEDC COVID-19 assistance. The purpose of the grants is to help businesses “with the costs of business interruption or for health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages, and inventory.” Additional guidance will be forthcoming with businesses being able to apply for grants in June.

Both the testing and small business initiatives are largely funded by the CARES Act.

Please contact HJ Waukau with any questions.

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Second Virtual Town Hall announced

On Wednesday night, the Wisconsin Medical Society and State epidemiologist, Ryan Westergaard, MD, kicked off the first of five virtual town hall meetings. Each week the Society will host guest experts to speak about various aspects of how physicians and health care teams are being impacted by this pandemic.

Join your peers on Wednesday, May 27 at 6 p.m. to hear presentations from attorney John Rather with the Madison law firm Neider Boucher S.C., and Attorney Brian Carroll with Reinhardt Boerner Van Deuren S.C.

Advance registration is required and can be completed by clicking here.

Please email Anne Hauer with any questions.

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HHS updates FAQs on CARES Act funds

Late last week the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released clarifications for providers who received funds in relation to the CARES Act. Several of the new FAQs are in relation to provider concerns about potential overpayments and recoupments of funds by HHS.

Specifically, the clarifications relate to how HHS determined additional payments under the general distribution of CARES Act funds and how providers can estimate their two percent payment in relation to Medicare patient revenues. The FAQs were updated May 14, 2020 and pertain to the additional $20 billion distribution on top of the initial $50 billion distribution. There are other updates to the FAQs regarding eligibility for funds under the CARES Act.

Please contact HJ Waukau with any questions.

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Help shape the future of Society advocacy - short survey!

The Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) is seeking input from physicians and future physicians on critical issues that need to be addressed in the next legislative biennial. The results will guide planning for the Society’s biennial advocacy agenda and aid the Foundation in identifying the state’s workforce and population health concerns.

Please help shape Society advocacy by taking the short Advocacy Priorities survey here. It should only take a few minutes to complete.

This survey lists 12 issue areas and includes one write-in option for an issue area that is not listed. Please select only the top three priorities you think the Society should make the focus of its advocacy.

The survey closes on May 29, so take it today! Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your input.

Please contact Anne Hauer with any questions about this survey.

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COVID-19 vaccine progress

On Monday, May 18, John Raymond, MD, President and CEO of Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) presented to virtual audience members of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and MCW a daily briefing on Milwaukee's health and economy. His presentation focused on the race for a COVID-19 vaccine and provided resources for how treatments and vaccine progress can be tracked. Two websites that were shared were from the Milken Institute and Gates Notes.

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