The award follows the enterprise’s efforts to combat climate change by making its buildings greener, using renewable energy via on-site solar, eliminating desflurane use in anesthesia gases and more.

“We pledged to be more sustainable because the health of our communities is tied so closely to the environmental conditions where we live,” said Al Manshum, Advocate Health’s senior vice president of support services. “Thank you to all of our teammates whose efforts make Advocate Health a greener place to work.”

The health system has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and strive for net zero carbon by 2035. Reinforced through the White House’s and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Care Sector Climate Pledge, this commitment underscores its resolution to make sweeping health and equity improvements across the communities it serves.

“Helping people live fully means helping ensure they have clean air to breathe and a sustainable future for their children,” said Dr. David Callaway, chief of crisis operations and sustainability for Advocate Health. “We’re proud of this recognition, which highlights our unwavering commitment to addressing climate change.”

Learn more about the Health Care Without Harm awards here.

The latest recognition builds on the health system’s track record of sustainability work. In Advocate Health’s Midwest region, 24 hospitals were awarded multiple environmental sustainability awards from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to sustainability in health care. In its Southeast region, the Environmental Protection Agency recognized its energy efficiency programs and 26 Energy Star certified buildings.

A second campus of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the academic core of Advocate Health, is currently under construction in a new innovation district in Charlotte. It is being built to a carbon-zero and LEED Gold standard, while also achieving a WELL Building Standard. It is believed this will be the nation’s first net-zero carbon medical school when it seats its first class in 2025.

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MARSHFIELD – Marshfield Clinic Health System and Security Health Plan have announced the awardees of the Addressing Health Disparities funding program. A total of 21 organizations will receive $202,478 in funding.

The list of awardees can be found at https://communityhealth.marshfieldclinic.org/en/Community-Investments and below:

The programs and initiatives receiving funds will improve health equity by addressing a wide variety of health disparities. Health disparities are preventable differences in health experienced by groups with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantages. Examples of preventable differences include difficulties getting medical care, few options for healthy food, or lacking a safe place to live. Health disparities are barriers to individuals reaching their full potential for health and well-being.

“Our rural communities have unique health disparities, and there are many organizations working hard to address them,” said Jay Shrader, vice president of Community Impact and Social Accountability. “We are proud to be able to invest in partner organizations that share our mission to create healthy communities.”

The investments support one of the system’s five key strategies in their commitment to diversity and inclusivity. For more information on Marshfield Clinic Health System’s Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity approach, visit https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/about-us/hedi.

The 21 funded organizations will implement a wide variety of programs. One organization will use the funds to address childhood food insecurity, ensuring children have nutritionally dense food and fresh produce. Another organization plans to support the addition of a community health worker to increase health literacy and health knowledge for Latinx individuals and families living in Central Wisconsin. A third will partner with other community organizations to provide safe and affordable transportation to needed services.

For more information the system’s community health efforts, visit https://communityhealth.marshfieldclinic.org/ or email us at communityhealth@marshfieldclinic.org.

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Marshfield Clinic Health System is an integrated health system whose mission is to enrich lives through accessible, affordable compassionate health care. The Health System serves Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with more than 1,600 providers comprising 170 specialties, health plan, and research and education programs. Primary operations include more than 60 Marshfield Clinic locations, 11 hospitals, Marshfield Children’s Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Security Health Plan and Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation. Learn more at marshfieldclinic.org.

Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc., part of the Marshfield Clinic Health System, is helping its 225,000 members in Wisconsin and beyond reach their best health. Security is a not-for-profit health plan serving Wisconsin since 1971 and is the fourth largest regional health plan in Wisconsin based on revenue and fifth largest in enrollment. Security Health Plan offers health insurance coverage for employees of large and small businesses, individuals and families. In addition, Security Administrative Services, LLC, a service of Security Health Plan, is a full service medical third-party administrator licensed in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana.

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EnsoData’s revolutionary adherence prediction AI will be integrated into React Health’s recently launched React Health Connect platform. This collaboration will empower referring physicians and DME suppliers with actionable data to provide timely, personalized support to patients who are struggling with therapy adherence.

“By partnering with EnsoData, we are making another significant investment in our sleep therapy product portfolio”, says Tom Pontzius, President at React Health. “EnsoData’s predictive analytics will allow our customers to prioritize and focus on the patients that need intervention the most, and will ultimately provide a more personalized and positive patient experience.”

“Our PAP compliance AI model has an incredible ability to predict compliance within days of starting treatment,” states Chris Fernandez, Chief Research Officer “We are excited about the transformative impact our technology can have on the multitude of patients who face challenges in treating their sleep apnea. Our goal is to strengthen the bond between healthcare providers and patients, resulting in
improved patient outcomes.”

This partnership signifies a new era in personalized sleep apnea care where predictive clinical AI tools enable timely patient care, increased patient support, and stronger provider-patient connection.

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About EnsoData:
EnsoData is a healthcare technology company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to perform complex and time-consuming data interpretation and analysis to help diagnose and treat health conditions. In addition to its AI-enabled therapy solution, EnsoData’s FDA-cleared sleep scoring and study management solution, EnsoSleep, is AI-powered viewing, scoring, editing, and reporting software that simplifies and accelerates the sleep testing, diagnosis, and treatment workflow — providing clinicians with more time and opportunities to expand patient care and improve outcomes.

About React Health:
React Health, headquartered in Sarasota, FL, is a sleep and respiratory device manufacturer. By manufacturing our comprehensive range of products, spanning from sleep to ventilation and oxygen solutions, we have curated our portfolio to offer unwavering support to physicians and DMEs across the continuum of patient care. Within our Luna PAP device line, each offering is FDA approved, encompassing CPAP/APAP, bilevel, and bilevel ST models. Our thoughtfully selected array of PAP interfaces and accessories complement our Luna PAP device line while accommodating diverse patient requirements. Adding value for our patients and partners, our ventilatory solutions seamlessly support a patient’s journey from the hospital to home.

Rounding out our robust respiratory portfolio is our spectrum of oxygen support, including both stationary and portable oxygen concentrators, along with a selection of essential accessories.

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Community Care has been providing care and support services to seniors and adults with disabilities in Wisconsin for more than 45 years.  “At Community Care, we provide compassionate support and care that gives members a sense of security while maintaining their independence,” said Kenneth Munson, Community Care’s chief executive officer. “We believe that our updated branding reflects our team and those we serve, but also provides a more streamlined look without losing what makes us special.”

The goals of developing a strong brand identity is to help increase the public’s awareness of Community Care’s work and helps to connect people to the organization.

The updated colors and logo reflect the organization’s mission, vision and values. While the double C’s in the logo represent Community Care, they also reflect the support the organization provides.

Community Care strives to help members live as independently as possible, for as long as possible, which is reflected in the center of the logo, with three arrows creating a home to represent the support and care provided to members.

“Community Care’s new brand reflects our staff’s and our members’ insights on our workplace, culture, and services,” Munson said. “We’re putting our best foot forward to bring our organization into the future and continue providing exceptional care to our members.”

Community Care, Inc., headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., is a private nonprofit organization that serves the long-term care and health needs of more than 13,000 older adults and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1977, Community Care is the only Wisconsin managed care organization to offer all three programs of Family Care, Family Care Partnership, and Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). For more information about Community Care, visit www.CommunityCareInc.org.

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By lighting this iconic Milwaukee landmark in lime green, we will raise awareness of World Mental Health Day and its mission to improve knowledge, raise awareness, and drive action that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.

Rogers’ Foundation supports Rogers’ patients to ensure that those in need – despite limited resources and insurance coverage – have access to the highest standard of care at Rogers Behavioral Health. By raising friends and funds, the Foundation supports Patient Care Grants, the Angel Fund, expansion projects, research, and more.

Viewers are invited to watch the livestream of the bridge lighting between 6 and 6:30 pm or watch from public spots: Milwaukee Riverfront Boat Launch at 600 S. Water Street, the Riverwalk on East Erie Street right before the Milwaukee Pierhead Light, or a number of nearby restaurants.

1. Indeed Brewing Rooftop inside the Eagleknit building: 507 S 2nd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53024
2. Cooperage/Boone + Crockett: 818 S Water St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
3. Milwaukee Sail Loft: 649 E Erie St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
4. 2A Wine Merchants: 577 E Erie St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
5. The Outsider rooftop located in Journeyman Hotel: 310 E Chicago Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202

1. Blu at the Pfister (small corner view): 424 E Wisconsin Ave, 23rd Floor, Milwaukee, WI 53202

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Through new services from within the Froedtert & MCW mobile application, patients are able to take steps to manage their health at their convenience, anywhere, anytime. From blood pressure management and mental health support to personalized care plans around cancer screenings, Froedtert Health is launching new digital care experiences tailored to individuals’ needs, values, and preferences.

“Most of the daily care and management happens outside of the clinic’s four walls,” said Bradley Crotty, MD MPH, interim president, of Inception Health, and chief digital engagement officer, Froedtert & MCW. “By creating experiences that foster participation, we are looking toward a future where we can provide education, guidance, and partnership to help our patients live their best lives.”

Earlier in 2023, Inception enabled patients to opt into its mental health screening and internet-based cognitive therapy program, for example, that has been studied and associated with approximately 25% reduction in depression and anxiety scores. “By bringing these experiences to our patients in innovative ways, we have tripled participation,” Crotty added.

This effort to personalize the digital patient experience builds upon Inception’s investment in developing a new cloud platform powered by AWS. The new platform serves more than 70,000 patients every month. The goal is to move the digital care experience towards helping patients understand their health data, perform routine screenings and opt into digital programs designed to improve their health tailored to their preferences.

Built on AWS, Inception’s platform is supported by multiple AWS services such as SageMaker, Lambda, Kinesis Data Firehose, and Athena to aggregate data into a secure data lake and develop machine-learning models to uncover actionable insights. For example, patients at high risk of hypertension can be identified through multimodal data analysis including clinical and patient-generated contextual data, and receive recommendations for targeted digital therapeutic interventions or a teleconsultation with a digital care team to close existing or potential gaps in care. With Amazon Pinpoint, Inception leverages the insights to engage at the right moment with its patients through the most appropriate messaging channels, like push notifications, in-app notifications, emails, or text messages, to provide just-in-time notifications and reminders, for things like scheduling monitoring labs or arranging for follow-up care.

“Our work with AWS represents a major step forward in the journey toward building truly personalized experiences that engage the patients throughout the care journey in a convenient timely way to each patient,” Crotty added.

“By integrating advanced AWS technologies, like Amazon SageMaker, into its mobile application, Inception Health is giving its patients the information they need to make informed decisions about their health,” said Sameer Bade, MD, director, Worldwide Public Sector Healthcare at AWS. “This a great example of how a health care system can leverage the power of the cloud to help improve patient-centric, personalized care.”

For more information about Inception Health, including research and development, visit www.Inceptionhealth.io.

About The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network

The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin, supporting a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research, and education. Our health network operates eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center and adult Level I Trauma Center at Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, an internationally recognized training and research center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies. The Froedtert & MCW health network, which includes 10 hospital locations, more than 2,100 physicians, and more than 45 health centers and clinics, draws patients from throughout the Midwest and the nation. In our most recent fiscal year, outpatient visits were more than 1.7 million, inpatient admissions to our hospitals exceeded 58,000, and visits to our network physicians totaled more than 1.17 million. For more information, visit froedtert.com.

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MILWAUKEE (Sept. 26, 2023) – Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital announced today a $90,000 Froedtert Scholars fund for scholarships to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Froedtert Scholars is a 10-year program funding junior and senior undergraduate scholarships for the study of health-related fields.

“The University of Wisconsin-Parkside fosters a strong commitment to providing educational opportunities to those who live and work in the community,” said Eric Conley, Executive Vice President, Froedtert Health, and President, Froedtert Hospital. “Partnering with them offers students pursing health-related careers a better chance to reach their goals from which we all benefit.”

The scholarship program was developed to address multiple needs identified by Froedtert Health, to expand the pool of highly skilled and well-trained health care workers in southeast Wisconsin and to meet the needs to the ever-changing and increasingly sophisticated medical field.

“We are extremely grateful to Froedtert Hospital for this gift, which will provide educational opportunities for students from southeastern Wisconsin,” Interim Chancellor Scott Menke said. “It will support and enhance the work we are already doing to support students in health care at all stages of their college career.”

About Froedtert Hospital

Froedtert Hospital, the academic medical center of the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, has 702 beds and is a leading resource for advanced medical care. Froedtert Hospital also operates the region’s only adult Level I Trauma Center. The primary adult teaching affiliate of the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Froedtert Hospital is a major training facility for more than 1,000 medical, nursing and health technical students annually. It is also a respected research center, participating in some 2,000 research studies, including clinical trials, every year. Froedtert Hospital is located on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus. Campus partners are Children’s Wisconsin, Curative Care Network, MCW, Versiti Blood Research Institute and Kathy’s House. For more information, visit froedtert.com.

About UW-Parkside

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is committed to high-quality educational programs, creative and scholarly activities, and services responsive to its diverse student population, and its local, national, and global communities. It is a dynamic learning community grounded in academic excellence and focused on student success, diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. The campus serves as a premier comprehensive public institution and a destination of choice, serving as a focal point of local, regional, and global progress.

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“As a behavioral health organization, reaching this status in the Joy in Medicine initiative is particularly meaningful. We are honored to be recognized as part of an elite group of organizations dedicated to the well-being of our providers,” said Cindy Meyer, MSSW, president and CEO of Rogers Behavioral Health.

Burnout rates among the nation’s physicians and other health care professionals spiked dramatically as the COVID-19 pandemic placed acute stress on care teams and exacerbated long-standing system issues. While the worst days of the pandemic have past, the lingering impact of work-related burnout remains an obstacle to achieving national health goals.

“Health organizations that have earned recognition from the AMA’s Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program are leading a national movement that has declared the well-being of health professionals to be an essential element for providing high-quality care to patients, families, and communities,” said AMA President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H. “Each Joy in Medicine recognized organization is distinguished as among the nation’s best at creating a culture of wellness that makes a difference in the lives of clinical care teams.”

“The goal of the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program is to unite the health care community in building a nationwide culture committed to the well-being of clinical care teams by helping health organizations invest in action plans promoting professional fulfillment and meaning that clinicians find in caring for their patients,” said Christine Sinsky, M.D., AMA vice president of professional satisfaction. 

Stephanie Eken, MD, chief medical officer at Rogers, shared, “This achievement is the culmination of more than a year of work by medical staff and our process improvement experts. We know this recognition and the work behind it will ultimately lead to better care for our patients, better quality of life for our team, and help us continue to recruit and retain high caliber physicians.”

Since its inception in 2019, the Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program has recognized more than 100 organizations across the country. In 2023, a total of 72 health systems nationwide earned recognition with documented efforts to reduce system-level drivers of work-related burnout and demonstrated competencies in commitment, assessment, leadership, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork, and support.

Learn more about the AMA Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program at ama-assn.org/joyinmedicine. 

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MADISON, Wis.—Oct. 4, 2023—In September, the WPS Health Solutions Board of Directors voted to add two new members to its roster. Joining the WPS Board are Karen Jackson and Larry Kocot.

Jackson retired from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in March of this year, where she served as Deputy Chief of Operations. At CMS, she was responsible for directing operational support for more than $1 trillion in health care spending with an annual budget of $7 billion, which included information technology, human capital, physical and systems security, risk management, and more.

Kocot retired at the end of September from KPMG LLP, a global professional services firm, where he has been a Principal and National Leader for the firm’s Center for Healthcare Regulatory Insight. Prior to KPMG, Kocot was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Senior Counsel at Epstein Becker Green, PC. He was also Senior Advisor to the Administrator and a key member of the management and operations team at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the implementation of Medicare Part D.

“These two individuals are highly experienced with extraordinary backgrounds that will help take WPS to the next level,” WPS Board Chair Steve Skoronski said. “I’m grateful they have agreed to join us as we move forward with our growth strategy.”

The terms for each new member run through the company’s annual meeting in 2026. Other WPS Board members can be found online at wpshealthsolutions.com/about/board-of-directors.shtml.

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 2,800 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

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EAU CLAIRE, WI AND PHILADELPHIA, October 3, 2023– Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, a Wisconsin, community-based Cooperative that has been optimizing the health of its members since 1972, and Belong Health, a company dedicated to advancing patient-centered healthcare and reducing the cost of caring for underserved and complex populations, today announced a partnership to help grow and operate a Medicare Advantage Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) for residents of Western and Central Wisconsin.

The plan will simplify care for 50,000 eligible Wisconsinites by coordinating Medicare and Medicaid benefits and putting the member first. It will connect D-SNP members with the health benefits they need while providing robust care management to improve their quality of care.

“For over 50 years, the Cooperative’s purpose has been to optimize the health of our members by providing resources, care coordination, and health insurance with their needs as our guide,” said Sarah North, CEO and General Manager of Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire. “Belong Health brings deep expertise in delivering special needs plans to the Cooperative to help us serve a new population of members who often have multiple medical and supportive needs.”

Belong Health works collaboratively with its community health plan partners to serve the 11 million      D-SNP members with complex issues, low incomes, and pre-existing conditions in the U.S. Through partnerships with community health plans like Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, Belong Health helps launch or grow market-leading Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans to deliver a more compassionate, straightforward insurance experience for their members.

Belong Health supplements existing care infrastructure with virtual and community-based resources to care for every member – even those that are historically hard to reach. The team includes operators, clinicians, registered nurses, licensed clinical social workers, and community health workers with extensive experience serving high-needs populations.

“At Belong Health, we believe high-quality health care should be accessible to all and that community-based health plans are best positioned to serve their communities as their trusted health insurance partners,” said Belong Health CEO J. Patrick Foley. “We recognize and respect the important role health plans like Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire play locally and the years they have spent establishing trusted relationships. Our job is to help them fill in the gaps that complete their existing offerings to provide the highest levels of service and meet evolving state and federal requirements while caring for their members.”

About Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire

Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire is a non-profit, member-governed health plan focused on optimizing the health of their members and communities. The Cooperative offers health plans to small and large employers, the State of Wisconsin Employee Trust Fund Group Health Insurance Program, and contracts with the State of Wisconsin as a Medical Assistance HMO. With over 65,000 members and an expansive provider network that includes most major health systems in the region, the Cooperative rounds out its offerings with a Medicare Advantage Dual-eligible Special Needs Plan. More information about becoming part of the Cooperative is at group-health.com.

About Belong Health

Belong Health delivers a compassionate, straightforward insurance experience for Medicare-eligible members by partnering with regional health plans to help them launch or grow market-leading Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans. High-quality health care should be accessible to all, and local regional health plans are best positioned to serve their communities as their trusted health insurance partners. http://www.belong-health.com.

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