Top news:
- It’s flu shot time: Under the shared UW Health Influenza Vaccination policy, all SMPH faculty, staff, and students, including temporary and part-time employees, are required to receive a flu vaccination annually. As an SMPH employee, you must provide proof of vaccination or have a completed waiver on file by Monday, December 7, 2020. See this link for more information on waivers and several upcoming clinics on campus.
- SMPH and UW Health have several updates to share with the school about ID badge and entry screening requirements, particularly for those working on site in the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR). This includes an important update regarding where to purchase food and drink.
- Reminder: All SMPH employees should complete COVID-19 Training for On-site Workers. The module is required for anyone who is performing onsite work, and is strongly recommended for remote workers as well for awareness of workplace safety protocols and procedures. Additionally, members of the campus community are expected to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 daily on the COVID Health Screen app and, if symptoms exist, immediately get tested and quarantine.
- SMPH faculty and staff returning to on-site work can request personal protective equipment via this online form. Check with your supervisor before submitting an order to coordinate coverage for your unit and avoid double orders. This is how employees can receive their three reusable masks provided to all UW–Madison employees when they return to campus. This form is only for SMPH faculty and staff located in CSC, HSLC, WIMR, MFCB, MSC, and WisPIC. All other locations can still use the EOC ordering form. The EOC form also has a larger selection if needed. Only order what you need for a four-week supply. All requests are reviewed before they are processed. PPE costs are covered by the university, not the requesting unit.
- Call for proposals: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education is providing up to $50,000 per award in funding for Pandemic-Affected Research Continuation Initiative proposals. Deadline: September 28, 2020.
- Updated travel guidelines have been released for UW Health physicians and staff. Dually-appointed UW Health/SMPH personnel should review the guidelines.
- Reminder (updated with Webex information): The next SMPH Fall All-Faculty/Staff Meeting will occur on October 12 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. The agenda is forthcoming; the Webex link is available.
Shout-outs:
- Please send kudos about your colleagues. Honor someone at go.wisc.edu/shoutout and we’ll share the stories. Visit this page to see a collection of shout-outs to date. Submit your thoughts and we’ll share them in a future issue.
“I want to give thanks to HSLC and MFCB building manager Doug Pollard. He is always ready to assist with a smile and wonderful attitude. It can be demanding and he just continues to make sure that each person has what they need to do their job and has worked tirelessly to help all of us during the pandemic with anything we might need to continue workflow as if we were there in HSLC. Thanks Doug!” — Debbie Meltzer, Assistant Dean, Office of Basic Research, Biotechnology and Graduate Studies
Telecommuting tip:
- Six months of working from home — what have we learned? CNN talks with business experts about what companies are realizing after half a year of many of their employees working remotely.
Staying strong & supporting one another:
- Fall is in the air: While autumn doesn’t formally start until later this month, there are many ways to take advantage of Wisconsin’s fall season while staying safe. See 50 of them from the Wisconsin State Journal.