Celebrating more than 20 years of Operation Education, the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation (Foundation) was thrilled to be back in person at both University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and at the Medical College of Wisconsin. UW-Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association and MCW/Marquette Alumni Association partnered to help students meet with specialty physicians to learn more about the career paths they could pursue. 

Each school had more than 100 students and 25 different specialties represented. Students rotated to the tables featuring their specialties of interest and asked questions such as, “Did you expect to specialize in this?” Physicians answered questions and gave a day in the life overview while inspiring students to pursue their specialty.

The night ended with each table playing a fun game of Operation. The winners took home gift cards, tee shirts, books and more.

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Wisconsin Medical Society | Medigram

Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed) member policy proposals are now posted on PolicyLink and are open for members to register support, opposition and/or comments. The comment period for this round of policy proposals will be open through Monday, August 1, 2022.

To participate in WisMed policymaking:

1. Visit policylink.wismed.org
2. Login with your WisMed username and password*
3. Click “Comment on Proposal” from the menu at the top of the page
4. Select “Comment Period 1”
5. Click on a blue proposal title
6. When ready, click on support, oppose or suggest amendments and submit any comments in the text box below
7. Click “Submit Comment” button at the bottom of the page

After the close of this comment period, proposed policies will move to the Policy Review Committee (PRC) which will review each proposal and member comments to help inform their recommendation to the WisMed Board of Directors (BOD). The BOD will decide whether to adopt, not adopt or make changes to the proposal.

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Wisconsin Medical Society | Medigram

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Lifeline), a free, confidential behavioral health and support line is now available. Anyone can utilize the Lifeline at any time by calling 988 (multiple languages available), texting a message to 988 (English only), or using the chat feature at 988lifeline.org (English only). People can connect with a trained crisis counselor to get help for themselves or a loved one experiencing a crisis, such as is thoughts of suicide, a mental health concern, substance use issue or any kind of emotional distress.

Additional details about the Lifeline:

• Wisconsin Lifeline counselors are trained to reduce stress, provide emotional support and connect people with local resources.
• The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available to use at no cost to Wisconsin residents. Additional care or intervention may come with a cost.
• Wisconsin Lifeline is not able to send an in-person response directly. An in-person response requires a transfer to another service and could involve law enforcement.
• Calls, texts and chats with Wisconsin Lifeline are confidential between the person and counselor, unless there is imminent danger for the person or others.

Jerry Halverson, MD, DFAPA, WisMed Board Chair and Rogers Behavioral Health Chief Medical Officer, told Fox6, "The purpose of 988 is to help you get over that crisis point, and get you someone that can help you more definitively. This is going to open up access to a lot of people who wouldn’t have taken advantage in the past. It can be a game-changer."

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a network of more than 200 support centers around the country. Contacts not answered by in-state partners roll over to a national backup system. The Wisconsin Lifeline has helped ensure that as many contacts as possible are answered by Wisconsin-based counselors who have the best understanding of local communities, cultures and resources. 

Learn more about Lifeline here.

Through the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation’s White Coat Campaign, every incoming student receives their first white coat and a note of encouragement from the physician who sponsored their coat. Thanks to your generosity, every first-year student at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH) and Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Central, Green Bay and Milwaukee will receive their first white coat and a warm note of welcome.

All students attending MCW-Central Wisconsin and MCW-Green Bay are receiving their coats at white coat investiture ceremonies this week with a warm welcome by Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) President, Wendy Molaska, MD.

Ceremonies at MCW-Milwaukee and UWSMPH are scheduled for August. Society President-elect, Don Lee, MD, an alumnus of MCW-Milwaukee, is looking forward to greeting the students there. President Molaska will also be welcoming students at her alma mater, UWSMPH.

The Foundation and Society are thrilled to play a role in assisting the physicians of Wisconsin to carry on the tradition of welcoming every student who attends medical school in Wisconsin to their new professional family. Together, the Society, Foundation, WisMed Assure and WisMed Financial are pleased to encourage students to take advantage of the support, networking and mentoring opportunities available to ensure their success in school and throughout their careers.

Follow the Wisconsin Medical Society on Facebook for photos from these ceremonies and other Foundation activities. Consider giving a recurring monthly gift to support the future of medicine in Wisconsin by donating to our Brighter Future campaign.

Original Post.

WisMed Mobile, the Wisconsin Medical Society’s new app, is now available. WisMed Mobile allows members to stay up to date on health care and WisMed news, connect with other members, explore upcoming events and more – all from their phones. Download WisMed Mobile for free today!

Explore the app by voting in the poll, adding a profile picture, liking a post and contacting a colleague. Check out the user guide to get started or troubleshoot any questions.

Please contact membership@wismed.org for assistance.

The GO PAC GO fundraising campaign kicked off on Monday with an email from the WISMedPAC board encouraging Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) members to get off the bench and get into the game. 

The Society’s political action committee, WISMedPAC, amplifies the physician voice by making political contributions to candidates and leadership committees – this allows for better, friendlier access to decision makers in the Capitol. The Society has a long history of advocating in the State Capitol on behalf of our members. Every legislative session, the Society’s lobbying team works to protect the physician-patient relationship.

You’ve got a week to get into the first quarter of the game. Teams are based on congressional district and your goal is to contribute to help your team win the game! We’ll publish names to honor and thank those who are taking part and helping the Society continue our strong advocacy on behalf of all physicians and their patients. There will be prizes – it’s truly a competition!

To get in the game, please contribute here or contact Heidi Green, 608.358.6116 and she’ll take your contribution.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten off the bench for their teams! First quarter wraps up next Wednesday so make sure you get on the scoreboard!

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Wisconsin Medical Society | Medigram

John Hartman, MD, is a board-certified nephrologist with an extensive background in technology. He is the chief executive officer of Visonex, LLC, former Vice Chair of the Wisconsin Medical Society Board of Directors, Treasurer of Brown County Medical Society and Chair of WisMedPAC. Dr. Hartman shared some thoughts about being politically active.

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The Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) task force is currently collecting survey data from physicians and medical students in the state. Data is so important to understanding the environment facing physicians in the state and all Wisconsin physicians and medical students are encouraged to fill out the survey and share it with colleagues and other medical groups in the state. The task force will convene again at the end of September and hopes to use this information to inform an equity plan for the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Please contact Marje Murray with any questions.

Medigram | Wisconsin Medical Society

Every year, we rely on Wisconsin physicians to tell us what you are seeing in your clinics and communities as the most pressing population health and workforce issues. We take actions based directly on the input we receive, and if you haven't completed our Physician County Survey yet, we'd love for you to take a few moments to do so. Thank you!

Visit the Foundation website to learn more about our community grants and Future Superhero of Medicine Fund. Thank you for all you do to support the health of Wisconsin!

Please contact Marje at 608.442.3722 with questions or for other ways you can get involved.

Wisconsin Medical Society | Medigram

Improving personal financial health and knowledge among physicians is a core mission of both WisMed Assure and WisMed Financial, both part of the Wisconsin Medical Society. To provide a solid foundation before even entering practice, we have developed personal finance classes specifically for residents.

Here is an outline of the curriculum.

• Overwhelmed by where to start – prioritizing what to do and when

• Student loan repayment options and forgiveness programs

• Insurance 101 personal lines and medical malpractice

• Employment contracts

• Investing foundation

There is no cost for members of the Wisconsin Medical Society. If you are interested in joining the seven other programs across the state that are already providing personal financial education for their residents, please contact Tom or Mark.

Tom Strangstalien
tom.strangstalien@wismedassure.org
608.304.1579
Mark Ziety, CFP(R), AIF(R)
mark.ziety@wismedfinancial.org
608.442.3750