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Category: COVID-19

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WPS Health Solutions outlines plan for more workers to return to the office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Solutions outlines plan for more workers to return to the office

MADISON, Wis.—May 6, 2021—WPS Health Solutions is developing a plan that envisions how the work environment will change as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19. When the pandemic was declared in March 2020, WPS rapidly deployed remote technology so approximately 93% of employees could work from home to reduce the spread of the virus.

More than 350 employees currently are working on-site in WPS facilities across five states. As of May 1, WPS had a total of 3,586 employees and contract workers.

Now, WPS leaders are talking about the “New WPS Workplace,” which includes a return to the office for some, while others continue working from home or use a combination of the two options. In addition, geographic limitations on new hires have been reduced, allowing for candidates to be permanently remote from many states.

“Our return to using WPS office facilities will be a process, not an event,” says President and CEO Mike Hamerlik. “The safety of our employees remains our number one priority. As more and more people receive the vaccines and restrictions in office settings are relaxed, WPS will start bringing employees back. We are preparing our facilities and working toward the date of Sept. 7 to have operations functioning at new, on-site levels.”

The decision process on who returns to a WPS facility starts with a discussion between employees and supervisors.

“The September date allows the company, you and your supervisor, and your families time to plan whether and how you might return to a WPS office,” Hamerlik said in an April message to employees.

He also urged all employees to get vaccinated. “I ask that you do your part and get fully vaccinated as soon as possible. Even if you continue to work from home, you may at some point be called into the office for meetings or temporary duty. We want to make sure that everyone is as safe as possible in the workplace.”

WPS leaders anticipate that up to 60% of the WPS workforce will be remote after the pandemic. As a result, the company is reducing office space and reevaluating real estate plans. As announced in March, WPS signed a letter of intent with One City Schools for purchase of the Nordby Building located on WPS’ campus in Monona. Leased office space has been reduced or consolidated in other WPS locations.

“We will be changing how we design our offices, with fewer cubicles and more collaborative spaces. There will be more ‘hotel’ desks and offices, which will be available for remote workers who no longer need their own dedicated space,” says Andrew McCready, Director of Facility Operations.

Steps have been outlined for those who are ready to return to the office. Employees start with a conversation with their supervisor to define work schedule, location, and equipment needs. Return-to-office applications are reviewed by various teams, including Human Resources, Facility Operations, and Information Technology.

Once a return date is approved, the employee must follow current COVID-19 protocols, including wearing a mask, appropriate social distancing, and completing a wellness survey upon entry.

About WPS Health Solutions

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation utilizes “WPS Health Solutions” to refer to our entire enterprise. Within our enterprise, there are three divisions, including Government Health Administrators, Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. WPS Government Health Administrators manages Medicare Part A and Part B benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and WPS Military and Veterans Health serves millions of members of the U.S. military and their families through TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation has been based in Madison, Wis., for 75 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

Photo by Richard Hurd

Stoughton Trailers to Host Vaccine Clinic

STOUGHTON, Wis. (Tuesday, March 30, 2021) — Stoughton Trailers, LLC, will offer a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for its employees at the company’s Plant 6 location, 1111 Veterans Road, on Friday, April 2.

Read the full press release here.

Photo by Richard Hurd

DoorDash Announces Winners of the Madison COVID-19 Restaurant Relief Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2021

Contact: press@doordash.com

DOORDASH ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE MADISON COVID-19 RESTAURANT RELIEF GRANTS

Winners will use funds provided by DoorDash’s Main Street Strong effort to help offset the costs associated with running a restaurant amid the ongoing pandemic and local dining restrictions.

MADISON, WI – Today DoorDash announced the winners of the COVID-19 Restaurant Relief Grant program provided through its Main Street Strong effort. These grants are a part of DoorDash’s five-year, $200 million Main Street Strong Pledge to empower local communities, which included a $10 million grant effort across select cities, states, and counties in the U.S. and Canada.

The grants are being administered by Hello Alice and can be used to cover operating costs during this challenging time, including rent, payroll, purchasing PPE, expanding outdoor dining capacity, and other expenses.

The below Madison restaurants have been selected to receive $5,000 grants through the program:

  • Bierock
  • Bistro 525
  • Cafe Domestique
  • Cranberry Creek Cafe & Catering
  • Crostini Sandwiches 
  • Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry
  • El Rancho Dos Mexican Grill 
  • Estacion Inka
  • Fair Trade Coffee House
  • Gates & Brovi
  • Green Owl Cafe
  • Harvest
  • La Taguara
  • Lazy Oaf Lounge
  • Madison’s
  • Mad Seafood Boiler 
  • Mickie’s Dairy Bar
  • Nick’s Restaurant 
  • Off Broadway Drafthouse 
  • Orient House Chinese Restaurant 
  • Osteria Papavero
  • Parkway Family Restaurant 
  • Pizza Extreme
  • Roll Play
  • Salads UP
  • Sconniebar
  • Teddywedgers 
  • The Jet Room
  • Tutto Pasta State Street
  • Valentia Coffee

All restaurants who applied for a grant will receive free access to the Hello Alice platform, which offers peer-to-peer networking, mentorship, and tools such as the COVID-19 Restaurant Resource Center, a curated list of industry-specific resources, information from fellow restaurant and food service owners about the challenges they’re facing, and how-to guides designed to help restaurants reopen the doors and get back to business.  Hello Alice will begin grant distribution in March, with all restaurants receiving their grant by early May. 

“We are very excited to have been selected as recipient,” said Sofia R. Pezua, Manager, Estacion Inka. “As we are struggling to cover our business expenses, this grant will allow us to meet those needs and continue to keep our doors open for takeout and delivery while more measures are put in place for restaurants to be able to open for dine-in safely. Thank you!”

When launching the program, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said, “COVID-19 has been devastating nationwide, and has taken a serious toll on our small businesses. Restaurants have searched tirelessly for resources to keep their doors open during the pandemic, as they’ve faced a number of hurdles. I’m thrilled about DoorDash’s relief contributions which will help safeguard our local restaurants during this time of crisis.”

“Restaurants have faced unprecedented challenges in the last year, and DoorDash is proud to support them,” said Alexi Madon, Senior Manager, Government Relations, Central at DoorDash. “It is our hope that these grants will help restaurants as they continue to navigate the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis.”

During the first round of DoorDash’s Main Street Strong COVID-19 relief grants in 2020, 85% of restaurants stated that one of the biggest impacts on their business was reduced sales due to COVID restrictions, and 82% cited lost revenue attributed to the declining economy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, DoorDash has taken significant active steps to ensure the safety of its entire community, including providing:

●   $120 million in commission relief and marketing investments

●  50% reduction in commissions for local restaurants with five or fewer locations in the first months of the pandemic, plus 0% commissions for the first 30 days for restaurants new to DoorDash

●   Free personal safety equipment for Dashers, including hand sanitizer, gloves, wipes, and masks

●   Two weeks of earnings replacement for eligible Dashers affected by COVID-19

●   COVID-19 screenings and telemedicine appointments for just $4 for Dashers, per visit

●   Partnering with BlueVine, a leading provider of small business banking solutions, to provide a customized Payment Protection Program (PPP) application for merchant partners to help make PPP loans more accessible.

For a full list of winners across the U.S. and Canada, see Hello Alice’s blog here. Read more about DoorDash’s latest efforts to help the local merchants, Dashers and communities it serves here

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About DoorDash

DoorDash is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 4,000 cities and all 50 states across the United States, Canada, and Australia. Founded in 2013, DoorDash enables local businesses to address consumers’ expectations of ease and immediacy and thrive in today’s convenience economy. By building the last-mile logistics infrastructure for local commerce, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time.

Photo by Richard Hurd

WPS Health Solutions shares a ‘Love Letter to First Responders,’ sends treats to hospital workers, adds red heart to face mask for Valentine’s Day

MEDIA ADVISORY | February 12, 2021

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Solutions shares a ‘Love Letter to First Responders,’ sends treats to hospital workers, adds red heart to face mask for Valentine’s Day

Following up on the “face mask” replicas that were added to its Madison campus sign in December, WPS Health Solutions is celebrating Valentine’s Day by sharing a “Love Letter to First Responders” and adding red hearts to the sign at 1717 W. Broadway in Monona.

The temporary face masks call attention to the continued need for people to wear face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19, even as vaccines are being administered around the nation. The masks say, “We support first responders.”

For Valentine’s weekend, WPS is delivering treats and healthy snacks for Intensive Care Unit employees at hospitals in WPS communities: Madison; Wausau; Green Bay; Omaha, Neb.; Hampton, Va.; and southern Illinois. (Madison hospitals: SSM Health St. Mary’s, UnityPoint Health – Meriter, and UW Health)

Jessica Marking, a Brand Journalist in WPS Corporate Communications, wrote the following tribute, which is being shared with WPS employees and on the company’s social media channels.

A love letter to our first responders …

For so many serving in health care, your career path wasn’t a choice but a calling.

As battlefield health care providers, you have tended to the fallen of an invisible enemy during the COVID-19 pandemic. With overrun hospital beds and supplies, you have sacrificed for us.

Your face is covered with scars from your mask while your capable hands heal us and do not fear us. You’ve persevered in the face of total exhaustion. You have protected us.

Showing compassion for perfect strangers. Every day honoring the oath you pledged. Treating every color, every age, every human with decency and dignity. You have loved us.

Encouraging the fight within us and showing up day after day with no end in sight. You have advocated on our behalf. You have listened to our circumstances, our stories, our concerns, and our hurt. You have shown us patience.

Holding our hands when it is time to let go. You comfort our families in times of grief, guilt, and sorrow—and clap your hands in celebration of recovery. You have raised them in thanksgiving as you lifted us in good health. You have cried over us, prayed over us, and healed us.

People have called you heroes; people have called you warriors. From the bottom of our hearts, we call you angels.

At WPS Health Solutions this Valentine’s Day, we have a message for our employees, customers, and everyone else: Share your love for the first responders in your life.

Please #sharethelove by tagging @WPSHEALTHSOLUTIONS on Facebook and LinkedIn, and @WPS_HS on Twitter.

About WPS Health Solutions:

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation utilizes “WPS Health Solutions” to refer to our entire enterprise. Within our enterprise, there are three divisions, including Government Health Administrators, Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. WPS Government Health Administrators manages Medicare Part A and Part B benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and WPS Military and Veterans Health serves millions of members of the U.S. military and their families through TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation has been based in Madison, Wis., for nearly 75 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

Photo by Richard Hurd

Summit Credit Union’s Cottage Grove Headquarters Becomes COVID-19 Testing Site

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:           

Media Contact:
Emily Decorah
(608) 243-5000
publicrelations@summitcreditunion.com  

Summit Credit Union’s Cottage Grove Headquarters Becomes COVID-19 Testing Site
Financial cooperative hosting free drive-thru testing in partnership with testing provider JangoDX, Wisconsin Department of Health Services

MADISON, Wis.—February 11, 2021—Summit Credit Union, a Madison-based financial cooperative, is now hosting COVID-19 testing at its Cottage Grove headquarters, located at 1709 Landmark Drive. The free drive-thru testing service is part of a partnership with testing provider JangoDX and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS).

“We are thrilled to be able to offer our headquarters as a testing site. This is so important to the health and well-being of our community. The site is easy to get to and will be open seven days a week,” said Summit Credit Union CEO & President Kim Sponem.

JangoDX has been working with the Wisconsin DHS to expand testing availability throughout Dane County. In the FDA-approved, self-administered test, individuals are provided test kits and instructions on how to complete their test. The process collects patient information and swabs in under five minutes and provides results within 3-7 days.  

The drive-thru testing lane is set up in the back parking lot of the Summit headquarters, located at 1709 Landmark Drive in Cottage Grove. Testing is offered seven days a week from 8 am – 3 pm, with hours subject to change due to weather and other factors. Please check the site’s availability at https://jangodx.com/community-testing/ or by calling JangoDX at 1-800-936-0534 and selecting Option 1.

About Summit Credit Union:

Established in 1935, Summit Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative. Summit is the 2nd largest credit union in Wisconsin and holds $4.4 billion in assets and has more than 209,000 members and 679 employees across 45 locations throughout south-central and southeastern Wisconsin. Kim Sponem has been CEO & President of Summit Credit Union, and its predecessor organization, CUNA Credit Union/Great Wisconsin Credit Union, since 2002. Recognized for its excellence in employee engagement, Summit was named a Top Workplace in the USA in 2021 by Top Workplaces USA and the Top Large Workplace in the Madison area for 2020 by the Wisconsin State Journal. For more information, visit www.summitcreditunion.com or call 608-243-5000 or 800-236-5560. 

For additional media information, visit https://www.summitcreditunion.com/about-summit/press-room or follow Summit on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.  ###