• We're working to refer healthcare clinics, pharmacies and independent healthcare providers who are not affiliated with a healthcare system to community partners for vaccination. This includes pharmacy staff, dental clinics, EMS providers, testing and vaccination site staff, school nurses and others in Phase 1a. If you feel you are eligible for Phase 1a and have not been offered the vaccine, please check with your employer on their vaccination plan. If you are an independent Phase 1a healthcare provider or you're a representative of a healthcare group with phase 1a employees and are not affiliated with a vaccine provider, please complete this form. Please share this information with others. A link to the form can also be found on our website.

• DHS Recommendations for Coordination of COVID-19 Vaccination of 1A Unaffiliated Healthcare Workers: The purpose of this document is to offer guidance and information to assists the local and tribal health departments and other registered vaccination providers to plan and execute the vaccination of Unaffiliated Healthcare Providers in their jurisdictions and service areas.

• COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Update (1/7/21)

• COVID-19 Testing Standing Order updated December 23, allowing testing for 1-4 year olds

• Patient Liability and Cost Share Change: DHS temporarily changed Medicaid program rules to suspend both patient liability and cost share increases from April 2020 through January 2021.

• FDA Statement on Following the Authorized Dosing Schedules for COVID-19 Vaccines

• DHS Health Alert #25: Surveillance for New Genetic Variants of SARS-CoV-2: Information for Clinicians

• COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Framework for Phase 1A Health Care Personnel

• Recordings of State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC) meetings can be found here 

• COVID-19 Vaccine Program-Federal Long Term Care Pharmacy Partnership Updates

• Attn: Federally Certified Non-Long Term Care Providers - CMS Publishes Revised COVID-19 Focused Infection Control Survey Tool for Acute and Continuing Care

• Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program Updates

• Guidance for Post COVID-19 Vaccinations in Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF)

• Attn: Community-Based Residential Facilities and Licensed Adult Family Homes (3-4 beds) - Wisconsin to Support COVID-19 Testing to a Number of Community-Based Residential Facilities and Licensed Adult Family Homes (3-4 beds)

• New and Updated on DHS Website:
• COVID-19 Vaccine Data
• Frequently Asked Questions for COVID-19 vaccine stakeholders
• Electronic visit verification (EVV) website updates:
• The IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) EVV webpage now lists fiscal employer agencies using an alternate EVV solution and their contact information. It also has a PowerPoint presentation for IRIS participants who have participant-hired workers.
• The Training webpage has a new document in the "How can I get ready?" section to help develop a training plan for workers.
• The Training Workers webpage has additional translations available.

• CDC Updates:
• MMWR: Performance of an Antigen-Based Test for Asymptomatic and Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Testing at Two University Campuses--Wisconsin, September-October, 2020
• MMWR: Implications of Shortened Quarantine Among Household Contacts of Index Patients with Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection--Tennessee and Wisconsin, April-September 2020
• MMWR: Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine--United States, December 14-23, 2020
• Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants
• New COVID-19 Variants
• New Map: US COVID-19 Cases Caused by Variants

• Q: How can I support DHS’s collaboration with CDC to conduct SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance to build a collection of virus specimens and sequences to support public health research?
• A: Promptly notify DHS of individuals who have a positive PCR test result for COVID-19 AND meet any of the following criteria:
• Have traveled to another country within the previous 30 days
• Have been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling to another country in the previous 30 days.
• Prolonged clinical illnesses, including those who are suspected of having protracted SARS-CoV-2 viral replication, are immunocompromised, or who have a recurrence of COVID-19 disease after an initial period of recovery.
• Suspected repeat infection occurring in patients who received monoclonal antibody therapy, convalescent plasma therapy, or antiviral drugs including remdesivir.
• Any SARS-CoV-2 infection in an individual who has received a COVID-19 vaccine.
• It is important to report cases that are travel-associated, or that occur in patients who previously received antiviral treatment, antibody-based treatment, or vaccination for COVID-19. Information about such cases can be sent to DHSDPHBCD@dhs.wisconsin.gov. For complete details, see COVID-19 Health Alert #25.

• Q: Do vaccine providers need to save some of their primary dose vaccine allocation for second doses?
• A: No, the Department of Health Services will automatically order and distribute second doses, also called booster doses, to all COVID-19 vaccinators.
• Providers should not save some of their order of first or primary doses to be used as second doses.
• Providers should not submit a new order for the second dose in the weekly allocation survey.
• Providers will receive a booster dose order that has the same amount of vials as your first order.

• Tuesday, January 12 at 12 PM - Wisconsin Health News Webinar: Back to School in a Pandemic
• Register here for a panel discussion about the impact schools have on the spread of disease and the health precautions districts are taking as they bring back students

• Wednesday, January 20, 1 p.m. - RAI/MDS Educational Forum for Nursing Home Providers
• The Division of Quality Assurance is hosting the quarterly Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI)/Minimum Data Set (MDS) Educational Forum and will address current MDS 3.0 topics relevant to nursing home providers.
• Join Zoom Meeting
• Meeting ID: 942-2027-1641
• Or by Phone: 312-626-6799
• Enter # if asked for participant ID
• Visit the RAI/MDS 3.0 information webpage to find the agenda
• The webinar recording will be posted on the RAI/MDS 3.0 information webpage

• Wednesday, January 27, 1:30 p.m. - OASIS Educational Forum for Home Health Providers
• The Division of Quality Assurance is hosting the quarterly Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) Educational Forum and will address current OASIS topics relevant to home health providers.
• Join Zoom Meeting
• Meeting ID: 915 0385 0631
• Join by phone: (312) 626-6799
• Enter # if asked for participant ID
• Visit the OASIS information webpage to find the agenda
• The webinar recording will be posted on the OASIS information webpage

• Thursdays, 10:30 AM-12 PM - DHS Long-Term Care Webinar
• Join Zoom Meeting (click this link to go straight to the room without needing to enter the meeting ID and password)
• Meeting ID: 948 1795 1711 / Password: covid19
• Phone: (312) 626-6799 / Enter # if asked for participant ID
• The webinar will be recorded and posted to the here under Resources.

• Bi-weekly on Fridays, 7 AM - DHS Weekly COVID-19 Webinar for Health Care and Nursing Home Providers (Upcoming dates: January 22, February 5, February 19)
• Click here to join the webinar
• Or dial:  312 626 6799 or 646 558 8656
• Webinar ID: 233 994 680
• Webinars are held on the first and third Fridays of the month
• Access recordings of previous COVID-19 provider webinars here.

• Fridays, 10 AM - COVID-19 Vaccination stakeholder webinar
• Once you register for this weekly webinar, you can use the same link to join each Friday at 10 AM
• View the recordings of past webinars here