WIAAP joined the Wisconsin Medical Society and eleven other stakeholders in signing a letter of support for Governor Evers’ extension of the Safer at Home Order. The news from the Capitol came yesterday and included the closure of schools through the end of the academic year. The groups emphasized the appropriate steps to determine when it will be safe to transition back into reopening businesses.

Below is the text from the letter; download the document here.

The undersigned organizations thank and applaud Governor Evers and Secretary-Designee Palm for taking action to extend the state’s Safer at Home order. Recent trends in state and national data are demonstrating that social distancing is effective at helping to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19.

We are encouraged by this progress, recognizing that we will need to continue to evaluate when the state’s Safer at Home guidelines can be further relaxed. This is especially true considering that it is still possible that our health care system could be overwhelmed in “hot spots.” We agree that the sooner we can relax social distancing guidelines the better; however, this must be done in a fashion that minimizes the risk of an overall surge in cases and regional outbreaks.

Furthermore, we support the criteria laid out by the Governor and the Department of Health Services for determining when it is safe and reasonable to begin reopening the economy. This includes:

  1. Evaluating the rate of the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
  2. Assessing and having the capacity to meet the health care needs of the state.
  3. Assessing the state’s capacity for appropriate testing, contact tracing and isolation capacity.
  4. Increasing the availability of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, first responders and other public servants.
  5. Consulting with medical and public health experts.
  6. Assessing the economic needs of the people of Wisconsin.

We are sympathetic to the significant adverse impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our state and national economies, as well as our daily lives. Such decisions to reopen should be based on sound data, evidence and collaboration, to achieve the best outcomes for everyone. Together we can continue to provide for the health and well-being of the people of Wisconsin.

Respectfully,

Clyde “Bud” Chumbley, MD, MBA
CEO, Wisconsin Medical Society

Gina Dennik-Champion, MSN, RN, MSHA
Executive Director, Wisconsin Nurses Association

Todd Costello
Executive Director, Community Living Alliance

Robert J. Kellerman
Executive Director, Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources

Dipesh Navsaria, MD, MSLIS, MPH, FAAP
President, Wisconsin Chapter of the Academy of Pediatrics

Gregg Bogost, MD, FACR
Past President, Wisconsin Radiological Society

Noel N. Deep, MD, FACP
Governor, American College of Physicians, Wisconsin

Heather Potter, MD
Board Chair, Wisconsin Academy of Ophthalmologists

Amy Weiss
President, Wisconsin Personal Services Association

Ryan Thompson, MD, FACEP
President, Wisconsin Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians

Sabina Singh, MD
President, Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians

John Schneider, MD, FAPA
President, Wisconsin Psychiatric Association

Sara Muhlbauer
CEO, Lakeland Care