Badger Air Community Council: Airmen of the 115th Fighter Wing serving during public health emergency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2020

Contact: Chris “Desi” Arenz
                Executive Director
                (608) 287-6208
                badgerair@gmail.com

Airmen of the 115^th Fighter Wing serving during public health emergency

Airmen and Soldiers of the WI National Guard getting Wisconsinites home safely

MADISON –Yesterday, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed Executive Order #72 declaring a public health emergency in Wisconsin. Among the health and safety actions outlined in the Executive Order was the mobilization of the Wisconsin National Guard to ensure safe transport home for Wisconsinites who had been stuck on the Grand Princess cruise ship because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Because of a coronavirus outbreak on the cruise ship they were on, 37 of our friends and neighbors have been stuck away from their friends and families in Wisconsin for over a week,” said Chris Arenz, Executive Director of the Badger Air Community Council. “According to the Governor Evers’ press conference yesterday, those Wisconsinites are being evacuated and upon arrival back in Wisconsin, they will be greeted by Wisconsin Department of Health Services personnel. And then they will be driven back home safely and efficiently by our friends, neighbors and co-workers who serve as Airmen and soldiers with the Wisconsin National Guard.”

“Members of the Wisconsin National guard serve dual state and federal missions. In their federal mission they serve to protect our national security and in their state mission they help civil authorities protect life and property and preserve peace, order, and public safety in times of natural or human-caused emergencies.”

“On behalf of the members of the Badger Air Community Council and the over 4,500 Together Truax supporters, thank you for once again stepping up to serve our communities and state in this public health emergency.”

This is not the first time recently that members of the 115^th Fighter Wing have, in their state mission, served our community and state in a time of need. Last summer, the 115^th Fighter Wing Fire Emergency Services responded to a City of Madison Fire Department Incident Commander request to assist in extinguishing the substation fire in downtown. Later that same weekend more than 100 Soldiers and Airmen from the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard were mobilized to Polk, Barron, and Langlade Counties to assist civil authorities in the aftermath of intense storms that cut a swath of destruction across northern Wisconsin July 20-21. During the recent lake level flooding in Madison, Airmen of the 115th Fighter Wing assisted with sandbagging operations to prevent property and infrastructure damage on the isthmus. They were also mobilized to assist in flood prevention operations to keep Interstate Highway 39 open.

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WPS Health Solutions takes action to protect employees and maintain business operations in response to coronavirus pandemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

WPS Health Solutions takes action to protect employees and maintain business operations in response to coronavirus pandemic

MADISON, Wis.—March 13, 2020—WPS Health Solutions continues to monitor the rapidly evolving situation with novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The safety of our employees, customers, agents, and vendors, and the continuity of client services remain our top priorities.

Due to the rising threat of COVID-19, WPS is increasing its response level to help to protect its workforce and the ability to maintain business operations.

“WPS employees play a critical role in the U.S. health care system. We know that this system is going to be stressed. Therefore, our role will be essential in keeping the claims and payments flowing through the health care networks. We need our employees to stay healthy to help the U.S. respond to this pandemic,” said President and CEO Mike Hamerlik.

This week, WPS implemented a “social distancing” strategy to minimize the risk of illness. Employees who have the ability and necessary equipment to work remotely have begun working from home until the situation improves. The company is deploying additional equipment so more employees can work from home. At present, more than 50% of the nearly 4,000 employees are at home working with a goal to get to near 80% in the next few days.

At this time, WPS does not anticipate closing any offices. Enhanced cleaning efforts have been underway to clean and disinfect common areas in WPS facilities and social distancing is being used to maintain facility wellness.

“Our actions will create a safer environment through social distancing for those employees who cannot yet or will not be able to work from home due to job duties. Our response at work, at home, and in our communities is essential to protect the health of our most vulnerable populations, so we have asked employees to exercise social distancing in their personal activities as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Hamerlik said.

WPS has a crisis response team meeting daily to assess developments and implement additional steps to keep operations running smoothly while also striving to maintain a healthy workforce.

WPS is updating employees about the company’s response plans through emails and its intranet site. For the last several weeks, WPS has been educating employees about the virus and encouraging them to take preventive measures, such as proper handwashing techniques.

“Thanks to our proactive measures over the past couple of weeks, we believe we are well-positioned to maintain normal operations while keeping our employees safe,” Hamerlik said.

For health insurance customers:

WPS Health Insurance and Arise Health Plan will waive prior authorization requirements, and cover with no out-of-pocket cost, COVID-19 diagnostic testing for all fully insured policyholders. For senior customers, Medicare will cover the cost of the test at 100%.

About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans, and their families. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions) has been based in Madison, Wis., for more than 70 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

Infosec: ALERT: You can be cyber-secure working from home

MADISON, Wis., March 12, 2020 — The coronavirus outbreak is leading numerous organizations on a scramble to develop plans for staff to work remotely. Companies hoping to keep employees safe and stop the spread of the disease — while maintaining regular operations — have to look beyond simply sending staffers home with a laptop. Practicing good cybersecurity hygiene to prevent exposing the business to cyberattack is as critically important in a home working environment as in the office.

Infosec, a leader in cybersecurity education and security awareness training, offers these tips for staying cyber-secure when working remotely:

Be safer with strong passwords. Don’t develop a false sense of security because you are comfortably snuggled up at home. Many people don’t practice the same strong password habits on their personal home devices as they do at the office. Add a strong password and two-factor authentication to your Wi-Fi and the router, plus any other personal devices.

Know what needs to be protected. Jot down a list of everything you don’t want falling into the wrong hands and determine a security posture for each. Paper notebooks and folders. Company phone. Company computer. Portable hard drives. USBs. Contact lists. Customer lists. You probably have more than you think. 

Using public Wi-Fi. Not recommended. Everybody should know the danger by now, yet 81% of recent survey respondents said they still use public Wi-Fi. If you are going to use the unsecured public network at your local coffee shop or library, think twice about exposing your company’s private information this way. 

Ramp up your security awareness. While you are using public Wi-Fi and other unsecured networks, be warned that at the same time you might receive a tidal wave of malware-loaded COVID-19 phishing attacks. Cybercriminals are playing off people’s anxiety from the pandemic.

Guard your login credentials. When working remotely — especially in public spaces — take care to guard your login credentials. If they are seen or shared accidentally, you’ve made tracking down illegal access very hard for the security team. 

Be a VIP with a VPN. Many companies have a VPN (Virtual Private Network) as part of online protection packages for remote and traveling staff. For those not in the know, a VPN provides a secure, encrypted connection that tunnels data directly to its destination. If your company doesn’t have one, talk to your boss. VPNs for home use run between $5-$12 a month.

Be smart and ratchet up your security outlook. Keep your family and friends from using your work computer. Install an antivirus program in your home system. Get a copy of your company’s security policy and follow it. Lock up or shred confidential documents — and don’t toss them in your home recycling bin. Don’t leave your laptop, documents or other devices in your car. Keep track of your smartphone. These common-sense steps will make you look like a security pro.

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About Infosec

Infosec has been fighting cybercrime since 2004. Thousands of organizations and over 4 million learners trust the wide range of security-specific classes and enterprise security awareness and phishing training to stay a step ahead of the bad guys. Infosec IQ, Infosec Flex and Infosec Skills provide the most advanced and comprehensive education and training platforms. Founded by CEO Jack Koziol, Infosec is based in Madison, with offices in Chicago and Dulles, Virginia. infosecinstitute.com  

Madison Ballet and ARTS for ALL Wisconsin to provide inclusive performances

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Mike Lawler
Director of Development & External Relation
ARTS for ALL Wisconsin
1709 Aberg Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53704
mike@artsforallwi.org
608-241-2131 ext. 204

Madison Ballet and ARTS for ALL Wisconsin to provide inclusive performances

Madison, Wisconsin— ARTS for ALL Wisconsin and Madison Ballet are working together to remove all barriers between audiences and the magic of dance. Following a successful inclusive performance of The Nutcracker in December, the two organizations are partnering again to create a safe, welcoming, and flexible space for ALL people to experience the magic of dance for free.

This spring, Madison Ballet welcomes guests to a working dress rehearsal of their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream , William Shakespeare’s classic story of frolic and foul play. In this ballet, music and movement tell the charming story and as guests experience the joy of attending a performance with the added insight of seeing how a production comes to life.

Those who express themselves vocally and/or need additional accommodations are welcome. Sensory kits are available at the performance at no cost and can be picked up at coat check.

Audio description to provide scenery and movement narrative for the visually impaired with dedicated receivers with headphones will also be available in partnership with Overture Center.

When: Wednesday, April 8 at 7pm

Where: Capitol Theater, Overture Center for the Arts

How: to RSVP go to www.artsforallwi.org/programs/arts-access

ABOUT ARTS for ALL Wisconsin

ARTS for ALL Wisconsin was founded in 1985 as Very Special Arts Wisconsin with the mission to expand the capabilities, confidence and quality of life for children and adults with disabilities throughout Wisconsin by providing programs in dance, drama, creative writing, music and visual art. In 2010 it became VSA Wisconsin in accordance with the Department of VSA and Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information please visit: artsforallwi.org

ABOUT Madison Ballet

Deeply rooted in its community for over 38 years, Madison Ballet provides exceptional arts experiences for individuals of all ages through its dazzling performances, engaging and accessible outreach programs, and the highly-regarded School of Madison Ballet . For more information visit madisonballet.org

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TASC Supports Learning Experiences at MMSD with Donated STEAM and Personal Care Resources

Photos by Beau Meyer Photography: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/irggmwq98x7vh4d/AADzql7zoePXD3YfII52fKpSa?dl=0

Madison, Wis.—Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC) celebrated its 45^th anniversary with acts of service that will soon benefit students of the 45+ schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD).

About 1,200 employees from across the country gathered at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center from March 10-12, 2020. During those few days, TASC employees participated in paid volunteer time to help support the unique needs of all MMSD students.

On Wednesday, March 11, about a third of TASC’s volunteer corps went shopping for supplies to fill Care Boxes with nonperishable food items, personal hygiene products, and toys and games. All of these items, as well as store gift cards, were assembled into care packages that will be delivered to every MMSD school at a later date.

While TASC had initially planned to send its volunteers into the district schools to engage with students in fun learning activities, TASC and MMSD made a collaborative decision to suspend these plans.

“This is a time of preparation and prevention,” said TASC CEO Dan Rashke. “We at TASC, along with everyone at MMSD, are committed to keeping our students, staff and community safe and healthy.”

Grace Wall is the TASC employee who coordinated the entire TASC in the Community operation. “We are disappointed that we couldn’t go into the schools this week, but we are an adaptable team of coworkers and made the best of the situation,” she said. “We are proud to provide students with incredible tools and resources that will serve them now and in the future.”

Recognizing MMSD’s longstanding partnership with Demco and the district-wide Makerspace initiative, TASC relied on their expertise to select products and hands-on activities that engage students academically. Demco delivered Makerspace carts to MMSD schools earlier this week. Teachers and librarians are eager to unpack the boxes and give their students access to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) materials.

“We are thrilled that TASC is providing resources for our students and teachers to create spaces where students will gather to design, invent, tinker, explore, build and discover,” said TJ McCray, MMSD’s Director of Instructional Technology & Media Services. “This speaks directly to our district’s vision for all students—that they will graduate with the skills and abilities to be successful in college, career and community.”

All told, TASC’s in-kind contribution is valued at $400,000.

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About Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC)

TASC is the nation’s largest privately held third-party benefits administrator with a mission to improve the health, wealth and well-being of its customers, employees and communities. TASC’s industry-changing Universal Benefit Account® eliminates redundant processes and platforms, increases accuracy, and significantly reduces administrative burdens to make benefits feel like benefits. With offices across the nation, TASC services over 80,000 public- and private-sector clients. For more information visit tasconline.com or call 1-800-422-4661.