Top news:
- Public health and Safer Badgers/COVID-19 Testing updates:
- As of today, you need a green digital badge in your Safer Badgers app to enter many campus buildings. If your digital badge is red or will change to red soon, get tested. If you encounter a long line at a site, check the app for wait times at nearby sites. Tip: If your badge isn’t updating based on a recent test, try restarting the Safer Badgers app.
- Public Health Madison & Dane County emergency order #13 went into effect today, altering limits on gatherings. UW–Madison is maintaining the university’s current limits of 10 people at indoor events and 25 people at outdoor gatherings for any university-affiliated event on or off campus. University event attendance limits will be reviewed and a decision will be communicated prior to March 1, 2021. Read more
- New guidance from the CDC encourages Americans to make their masks work better by tightening their fit, including by using a simple, homemade tool designed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Funding for the engineering team that developed the Badger Seal device was provided by the Wisconsin Partnership Program. Read more
- Join for a film screening of Black Men in White Coats Feb. 21-23 and a Q&A discussion on Feb. 24. To register and receive a passcode to access the screening, submit your email address on this page. The access to the screening is capped at 300 participants. A passcode allows you to view the documentary at your leisure Feb. 21-23. Read more about this event here. This event is co-sponsored by the SMPH Office of Multicultural Affairs and UW Health. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Tiajuana Rice in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at tbrice2@wisc.edu.
- Deadline approaching — UW–Madison workplace safety training for spring semester: By Feb. 19, all employees are expected to complete the 10-minute COVID-19 Spring Semester Training. All SMPH employees currently working onsite are expected to complete the training as soon as possible. Any SMPH employee approved to return to work onsite should complete it during the preparation process. If you previously completed the fall semester version of the training, please take this new version, as it covers updated information for spring.
- Check out a new blog called Inside Thirteen73 written by the staff at Media Solutions, named after their office location in Health Sciences Learning Center. Read about how the photography, videography, design and illustration team adapted to the pandemic, how you can spot an outdated logo, and results of a fun and fascinating personality quiz to determine your creative type (you can take it too!)
- View this week’s Quick Links, with valuable information for all personnel, as well as information for researchers and clinicians.
Building an Anti-Racist SMPH
- Native American Center for Health Professions Distinguished Lecture series: The first talk in this spring 2021 series will occur on Feb. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a presentation titled “Menominee’s Journey to a Culture of Health” by Jerry Waukau Sr., Tribal Health Administrator, Menominee Nation, and Wendell Waukau, MA, ES, Superintendent for Menominee Indian School District. Download a flyer (PDF) and RSVP
View upcoming events relating to anti-racism topics at UW–Madison and beyond.
Shout-outs
Please send kudos about your colleagues. Honor someone at go.wisc.edu/shoutout and we’ll share the stories. Submit your thoughts and we’ll share them in a future issue.
Wellbeing Wednesday
Navigating “vaccine jealousy:” Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine will take time and it’s natural to feel impatient for your dose as you see others around you being vaccinated. See this article on dealing with this phenomenon, which includes reflecting on the importance and value of certain groups being prioritized and practicing mindfulness.