Kraus-Anderson, EUA Architects: Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County completes funding for new hospital

DARLINGTON, Wis. – (April 2022) – Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (MHLC) has completed the financing to build a new $55.5 million facility, which also will include space for behavioral health and mindfulness sessions.

The funds include a $30.87 million revenue bond and $15 million general obligation bond in direct loans from the USDA, and a $5 million guaranteed loan, all of which will be paid for by the proceeds of the hospital.  In addition, MHLC was awarded a $1 million Emergency Rural Health Care Grant.

“The USDA has been wonderful to work with during this process and we are so thankful that such programs are available,” said Kathy Kuepers, MHLC CEO.  “These funds ensure our community has access to quality health care for years to come.

As a critical access hospital, the current facility has served the greater community and provided a full range of acute care inpatient and outpatient services since 1952.  Easily accessible access to quality health care will be the core of the design for the 75,000-square-foot replacement facility.

The construction manager is Kraus-Anderson and the architect is EUA Architects.

Construction on the new hospital is expected to begin in February of 2023 and completed by the summer of 2024. The current facility will be in operation during construction.

###

Local Moroccan, soccer-playing chef takes job at Renaissance Senior Living of Hilldale

Madison Chef Malek Rguig, a former professional soccer player, said Mediterranean cuisine is at the heart of what he likes to cook.

He’s careful about his own diet, too.

“There is no morning that I don’t have my blueberry-strawberry-blackberry yogurt shake,” he said. “I don’t eat a lot of fried food. Here and there, but otherwise very healthy.”

Rguig, 61, played soccer for the Moroccan national team at age 17, and left his native Marrakech at 18 to study at the Sorbonne in Paris for a year. He also attended culinary school there for two years and played division 2 soccer for the French team Strasbourg.

In January, he took a job as the executive chef at Renaissance Senior Living of Hilldale, a 10-story, 75,000-square-foot assisted living and memory care community at 602 Segoe Road, scheduled to open May 1.

“I like the people,” Rguig said. “I really enjoy the team we have and the beautiful building. My goal is to work for assisted living because I love to help people. With my passion in cooking, I think that’s worked well.”

Read more at the Wisconsin State Journal

WPS Health Insurance® plans to expand Medicare supplement insurance offering in 45 states

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Insurance^® plans to expand Medicare supplement insurance offering in 45 states

MADISON, Wis.—April 11, 2022—One of Wisconsin’s most popular Medicare supplement insurance products will soon be available in even more states. WPS Health Insurance and its wholly owned subsidiary, The EPIC Life Insurance Company^®, are planning to expand Medicare supplement insurance, already being sold in 16 states, to 29 more states over the next 36 months. 

Medicare supplement insurance helps customers pay for costs left over after Medicare pays its share for covered medical services. The insurance plans from WPS Health Insurance and The EPIC Life Insurance Company offer customers no-worry, no-hassle service backed by friendly, concierge-level customer support.

“WPS Health Insurance has been selling Medicare supplement insurance in Wisconsin since the Medicare program began. We’ve already expanded into select states across the country. It’s an exciting time for us as we introduce our Medicare supplement insurance to even more customers in more states,” said Thomas Spelsberg, Vice President of Medicare Market Solutions.

When launched, the plans will be available through select insurance agents and retiree exchanges in the new states. The Medicare supplement insurance plans offer a variety of coverage options for Medicare beneficiaries plus special programs and services included at no additional cost. All plans include value-added benefits such as fitness, wellness, vision, and hearing programs, with the option to purchase dental coverage. Identity theft and fraud review services are also included for all customers.

WPS began selling Medicare supplement insurance when the Medicare program began in 1966. Since then, tens of thousands of customers have enjoyed the dedicated service the company provides. Today, WPS and The EPIC Life Insurance Company have more than 60,000 Medicare supplement insurance customers. In 2021, WPS celebrated 75 years of serving customers and beneficiaries. With a rich legacy of caring and innovation, WPS is committed to making health care easier for the people it serves.

About WPS Health Insurance

As one of the largest health benefits providers in the state, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Insurance) offers a variety of services and coverage with Preferred Provider Organization health plans for individuals and groups, third-party administrator services, and Medicare supplement plans. Headquartered in Madison, Wis., and with employees throughout the state, WPS Health Insurance is deeply committed to Wisconsin and its residents. Visit wpshealth.com for more information.

The intent of this advertisement is solicitation of insurance, and contact may be made by the insurer or a licensed agent. Neither Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation nor The EPIC Life Insurance Company, nor their products, nor agents are connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. All policies have exclusions, limitations, and reductions. For costs and complete details of the coverage, call or write your insurance agent or the insurance company.

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation and The EPIC Life Insurance Company, 1717 W. Broadway, P.O. Box 8190, Madison, WI 53708-8190

©2022 Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation and The EPIC Life Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

###

Wisconsin Union: ‘Bill Nye The Science Guy’ Coming to UW-Madison for Free Talk and Q&A on Climate Change, Sustainability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2022

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Wisconsin Union
Phone: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

‘BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY’ COMING TO UW-MADISON FOR FREE TALK AND Q&A ON CLIMATE CHANGE, SUSTAINABILITY
Bill Nye to speak at free Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee event

MADISON – Science educator and television personality Bill Nye has fought for more than 30 years to raise awareness of climate change, and he’s shining a light on that global warming crisis at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as part of a free Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) Committee-hosted talk and Q&A on April 25 at 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center. Guests can also attend the event virtually.

The talk, called “Let’s Talk Climate Change, a Conversation with Bill Nye,” will be followed by time for audience members to ask Nye questions. A general admission, free ticket is required for this event. All are welcome to attend, including those with no UW–Madison affiliation. Current UW–Madison students can register for free tickets to this event beginning April 11 at 10 a.m. CST, and all other patrons can begin registering for free tickets on April 13 at 10 a.m. CST. All can register for the virtual livestream beginning now. Ticket registration to attend in-person is available here, and registration to attend the virtual livestream is available here.

The WUD DLS Committee previously scheduled a talk featuring Nye for April 21, 2020, but COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the event.

Nye’s talk is part of the science advocate’s long history of helping people understand and appreciate science. From 1992-1998, Nye hosted a science education show, called “Bill Nye the Science Guy®.” He also wrote eight science-themed children’s books and multiple New York Times bestsellers as well as hosted three seasons of a science show on Netflix, called “Bill Nye Saves the World.” Nye currently serves as the chief executive officer of the Planetary Society, a non-profit with a mission to empower people to advance space science and exploration.

Known by many as part of their childhood education, he’s now trying to reach the people he spoke to as children with his message that climate change is real and serious.

“The world is getting warmer because of us,” Nye said in his Netflix series.

The WUD DLS Committee brings engaging and influential people to the UW–Madison campus to encourage thought-provoking conversations. WUD includes 11 committees and six Wisconsin Hoofers clubs that program thousands of events each year.

This event is made possible, in part, with support from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Sciences at UW–Madison, the UW–Madison Center of the Humanities, and the Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association.

Patrons can click here to register for a free ticket to attend the talk and Q&A featuring Nye virtually or at the Kohl Center.

###

About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee contributes to the educational experience of University of Wisconsin–Madison students, Wisconsin Union members and community members by bringing engaging and influential people to campus. Founded in 1987, the series aims to expose the campus community to a diverse and vibrant array of people, backgrounds, and ideas. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/dls.

[Note to the editor: Click here to download a photo of Bill Nye. Photo by Jesse Deflorio.]

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/bill-nye-2022.

WPS publishes new Corporate Social Responsibility Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ryan Kanable
Communications Manager
608-345-0517
ryan.kanable@wpsic.com

WPS publishes new Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Company shares achievements during 2021

MADISON, Wis.—April 5, 2022—The 2021 WPS Health Solutions^® Corporate Social Responsibility Report is now available on wpshealthsolutions.com. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the major lines of business at WPS Health Solutions, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021, with a special emphasis on the people, pivots, and partnerships that helped keep the company successful over the last year.

“The report allows us to showcase our employees’ commitment to high ethical standards and conducting business with integrity. It helps anyone who is interested in WPS to get to know us a little better,” says DeAnne Boegli, Vice President of Communications.

“People, Pivots, and Partnerships” is the theme for the 2021 report. More than 75 years since its founding, WPS Health Solutions continues its work to protect the health and financial well-being of its customers through three lines of business: WPS Health Insurance^®, WPS Government Health Administrators^®, and WPS Military and Veterans Health^®, as well as two subsidiaries: WPS Health Plan, Inc. and The EPIC Life Insurance Company.

Employees of WPS Health Solutions aspire to do their best by exhibiting the company’s four core values: Individual Responsibility, Customer Focused, Mutual Respect, and Driven and Passionate. The mission of WPS Health Solutions is this: Together, making health care easier for the people we serve.

In 2021, WPS Health Solutions took steps to guard against bias and prejudice in the workplace, including a commitment from President and CEO Mike Hamerlik who joined more than 1,600 CEOs across America by signing a pledge for CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion™. The company also onboarded a new Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, who has helped advance diversity and inclusion work. During the year, a DEI Employee Council and a DEI Executive Council were created to assist with integrating DEI concepts into business practices throughout the company.

WPS Health Solutions received numerous awards in 2021, including being named a Top Workplace by the Wisconsin State Journal, making the Achievers’ 50 Most Engaged Workplaces list and its Elite 8 in the category of Culture Alignment, and winning Top Workplaces’ Culture Excellence Awards for Work Life Flexibility and Remote Work.

Despite a challenging economy, WPS gave charitable donations totaling more than $198,000 to 39 local and national organizations. The WPS Charitable Foundation donated more than $246,000 to 33 organizations.

About WPS Health Solutions^®

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 2,700 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

©2022 Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation. All rights reserved.

###