News Releases: 2022

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has confirmed the first pediatric influenza-associated death in Wisconsin for the 2022-2023 season. Nationwide, 30 pediatric influenza-associated deaths have been reported. 

Nearly everyone age 6 months and older is now eligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccination, except for children 6 months through 4 years of age who have already completed the original (also known as monovalent) three-dose Pfizer primary series. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is urging Wisconsinites to get an updated (also known as bivalent) COVID-19 vaccination and their annual flu shot before the holidays.

Today the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announces the final 26 awardees for the Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) grant opportunity. A total of $17.3 million for 69 organizations will fund activities that improve services for people who are older or have a disability, helping them remain in their home or community.

Data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) show influenza (flu) activity is increasing significantly throughout Wisconsin ahead of the December holiday season, mirroring trends being observed around the country.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) today remind Wisconsinites they have one week left to enroll in a health plan available on the federal marketplace to receive coverage that begins the first of the year (January 1, 2023). Those who already have insurance through the federal marketplace can also renew, update, or upgrade their health plans during this open enrollment period.

In both 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 cases surged during the colder months. As colder weather returns, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reminds Wisconsinites of the available programs for accessing COVID-19 self-tests and treatment. All Wisconsinites are encouraged to utilize these services to keep themselves and those around them safe this holiday season.

Today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced it has been awarded a $45 million grant to assess the statewide public health system to help build a stronger public health workforce through retention, recruitment, and training efforts. The funding is part of $3.2 billion being awarded from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to state, local, and territorial jurisdictions across the U.S.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is encouraging Wisconsinites to order free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests and have them delivered directly to their house through the state-supported Say Yes! COVID Test program. Starting today, all Wisconsin households are eligible to place an order every month for one free test kit that contains five rapid antigen COVID-19 tests on the Say Yes! COVID Test website.

With respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, influenza, and RSV circulating at high levels nationwide, the 2022-2023 respiratory season has the potential to be severe, especially for young children and older adults.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announces that Medicaid cost coverage for nursing homes will increase from 77% for fiscal year 2022 to 91% for fiscal year 2023. The increase implements one of the key recommendations from Governor’s Task Force on Caregiving, tying a significant amount of the increase to direct care nursing and supporting the health care workforce in both wages and benefits.

Today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) awarded $12 million to 43 organizations that will focus on improving home and community-based services for people who are elderly or have disabilities. Awards will reach all 72 counties.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announces a free telehealth service to streamline access to COVID-19 treatment. COVID-19 antiviral treatments must be taken within five days of symptoms starting, even if symptoms are mild, making it essential to quickly access a clinician for a prescription.

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), today awarded $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to five organizations to increase access to child telepsychiatry services. The one-year grants of $500,000 each will support projects focused on recruiting and retaining psychiatrists and deploying technology to connect more providers with patients through virtual visits.

Today, Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake and Insurance Commissioner Nathan Houdek are celebrating the launch of the 10th annual Open Enrollment period on the individual health insurance marketplace. This period starts November 1, 2022 and lasts until January 15, 2023.

Starting November 1, Milwaukee Enrollment Services (MilES) will serve Milwaukee County residents who participate in state benefit programs at a new location at 6055 North 64th Street. Members of programs such as BadgerCare Plus, FoodShare, and Wisconsin Shares will have free parking, bus line access, and improved building accessibility with first floor walk-in services.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide housing support for low-income Wisconsin families in need. Those who are eligible include families with children 18 and younger and individuals who are pregnant who have low income (below 200% of the federal poverty level) and do not have housing.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), today announced $8.3 million in funding to support K-12 school health service staff in schools throughout the state. This first-of-its-kind funding will support hiring and retention for school nurses and health staff in K-12 schools and provide funding for school nurses to pursue wellness activities and professional development.

During National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (October 23-29), the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is encouraging all Wisconsinites take steps to prevent and detect childhood lead exposure by getting the facts, helping children get tested for lead exposure, and checking homes for lead hazards.

The Wisconsin Resource Center has been honored as the 2022 R. Scott Chavez Facility of the Year by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). This award is given to one of the hundreds of NCCHC-accredited facilities for quality and innovation in the correctional health care field. It was presented today at the National Conference on Correctional Health Care in Las Vegas.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today released its Influenza Vaccine Update and launched a new online flu vaccine data dashboard. Together, the report and data dashboard provide a look at previous and current flu vaccine rates statewide, and highlight communities and areas of the state more vulnerable to the seasonal flu.

In response to rising rates of substance use across Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers, the Department of Health Services (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have unveiled Real Talks Wisconsin, an effort to give residents the information they need to keep themselves, their families, and their communities healthy and safe.

Fifty years have passed since a team of clinicians at today’s Mendota Mental Health Institute on Madison’s north side opened the Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) in a house in downtown Madison, marking the beginning of the world’s first community-based mental health treatment service. This work revolutionized approaches to care and supports for people with mental health challenges in Wisconsin and beyond.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is urging Wisconsinites to get an updated COVID-19 booster vaccination and their annual flu shot ahead of the upcoming holiday season. People can safely get their COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines at the same time, including the annual flu vaccine. Everyone age 5 and older is now eligible for an updated COVID-19 booster.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today announced that 120,600 fentanyl test strips have been distributed to organizations across the state to help prevent drug overdose deaths. Drugs mixed with fentanyl are the leading cause of overdose deaths in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) at an event in Milwaukee today announced Gov. Tony Evers is directing $16 million in grants to improve maternal and child health. Through collaborations with the Medical College of Wisconsin Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the dollars will be invested in efforts to close gaps in maternal and child health outcomes.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today announced that on August 8, 2022, as part of a cybersecurity incident investigation, DHS was notified that a presentation emailed to the DHS Children’s Long-Term Support Council in April 2021 contained protected health information. This presentation was forwarded to employees working for county government agencies in Rock and other Wisconsin counties and posted to the DHS website as part of the meeting minutes.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is expanding the eligibility criteria for who can get vaccinated to protect themselves against monkeypox. Following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the new eligibility criteria allow for more people who may be at a higher risk for being exposed to the monkeypox virus to get vaccinated.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is accepting applications for grants to fund behavioral health workforce training. The training must build provider capacity to deliver mental health and substance use services that respect and respond to the beliefs, practices, and needs of diverse communities.

Today the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) launched a new webpage containing state data on monkeypox cases and vaccine administration. The release is part of ongoing efforts to increase awareness and transparency about how the monkeypox outbreak is affecting Wisconsinites.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is reminding people to protect themselves from mosquito bites following the first confirmed human case this year of West Nile virus (WNV) in a Sheboygan County resident. Despite cooler temperatures, mosquito activity and the risk of WNV will continue until the first hard frost (temperatures below 28 degrees for at least four consecutive hours).

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) are reminding Wisconsinites that their COVID-19 at-home tests and booster shots are still available with no out-of-pocket cost.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) encourages everyone six months and older to get vaccinated against influenza (flu) this fall. Getting your flu vaccine is the best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death caused by the virus. You can get the flu vaccine alone or at the same time as other vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, whether it’s your first or second dose, or a booster.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today that it has received a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent suicide in the state. The award is for $868,730, with similar funding expected for each of the next four years. Five other states were chosen for funding through the competitive grant process: Florida, Georgia, New York, North Dakota, and Oregon.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is urging Wisconsinites to make a plan to get boosted against COVID-19. People 12 and older are now eligible to receive updated COVID-19 boosters (also known as bivalent boosters). Doses of the updated COVID-19 boosters have started arriving in Wisconsin and will continue to be delivered to providers over the next several weeks.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is expanding the eligibility criteria for who can get vaccinated to protect themselves against monkeypox.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is reminding people to protect themselves from mosquito bites now that two animals in the state have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). A bird from Milwaukee County and a horse from Trempealeau County are the first reported WNV infections in the state this year. No human cases of WNV have been reported yet in 2022.

“The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is pleased to see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that eligible Wisconsinites will soon have additional protection against COVID-19 with the approval of COVID-19 bivalent boosters. These bivalent boosters were developed through rigorous processes to provide broad protection against COVID-19 by including components of the original virus strain and the Omicron variant.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is launching an online program for Wisconsinites to get free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests delivered directly to them. Starting today, Wisconsin residents can go to the Say Yes! COVID Test website and place an order for a package of five rapid antigen COVID-19 tests at no cost. Initial supplies will allow each household to order one package that will arrive in 1-2 weeks.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has issued a public health advisory to inform Wisconsinites about the increased number of deaths caused by drugs laced with synthetic substances, especially fentanyl.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is highlighting the importance of lead poisoning prevention by visiting home lead abatement projects around the state and for the first time this year will also visit child care centers that are testing their water for lead. These visits are designed to raise awareness of childhood lead poisoning and the resources available to help communities eliminate common sources of lead exposure for children.

As the 2022-2023 school year begins, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) urges parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19. DHS also encourages anyone planning to attend in-person classes at a college or university to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines.

Today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) opened the first round of applications for $30 million in grant funding to support home and community-based services (HCBS). HCBS help older adults or those who have disabilities live independently in their community. Grant awards will range from $25,000 to $2 million.

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announce that more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the State of Wisconsin, including over 2.5 million additional and booster doses. More than 60% of all Wisconsinites have completed their COVID-19 vaccine series and 35% have received an additional or booster dose.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today that it has received the first payment of more than $6 million from the National Prescription Opiate Litigation (NPOL) settlement funds.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and local health departments, is working to investigate cases of Salmonella infection associated with shelled peas sold at Wisconsin farmers markets.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today announced expanded eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine. To date, DHS has been allocated 1,486 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine from the federal government, which is enough vaccine for 743 people to complete the two-dose series. As of July 28, 2022, DHS has identified 14 cases of orthopoxvirus, presumed to be monkeypox, in Wisconsin.

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today awarded more than $2.5 million to 27 providers for community behavioral health services that will provide access to mental health and substance use treatment and recovery supports through telehealth. Grantees will use this one-time funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to expand access to these important services by removing location and technology barriers to care.

Wisconsin’s newest drop-in center offering support to adults experiencing mental health concerns is now open in Menomonie. Kaleidoscope Center is managed by the Wisconsin Milkweed Alliance, which received a $30,000 peer recovery center grant last summer from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). Staff are trained members of the community who have experienced their own mental health concerns. They use their experiences to help others through stressful situations.

Following a recently announced $6 million investment, Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today announced the launch of the WisCaregiver Careers program expansion, the state’s free certified nurse aide (CNA) workforce development program.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) wants to update parents and caregivers about new options available to provide nutrition for their babies as the nationwide shortage continues.