Bells, lights, joy everywhere. Let the season bring all hope and joy to you and ring in the new year to new possibilities and challenges. Meanwhile, we would like to share few quick updates from the chapter.

Board of Directors

We have a new Advocacy Liaison on our Board, Will Gu. We are so excited to have you Will! Welcome aboard.

http://wi.himsschapter.org/wisconsin-chapter-board-directors.

Webinar Update

Our webinar this past week was a great success. We hope all attendees had a great time listening to our wonderful speakers on all things patient access. A big thanks to Bluetree for hosting this webinar.

You can view the recording here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/5192512251650553347

STEM Future City – Call for volunteers

It is that time of year when we anticipate exciting winter activities in Wisconsin. Here's one event that is loads of fun and occurs indoors.

The 2022 STEM Future City competition will be held on January 15^th, 2022 at the MSOE Kern Center. This year's theme is "A Waste Free Future." Teams are asked to use the three principles of a circular economy to design a futuristic, waste-free city.

Our chapter has been giving an award in a special category section during this event for many years. Please consider volunteering some of your time on January 15th, from 8:00am - 12:00pm CT on the MSOE campus. The enthusiasm, energy and creativity of these middle school students is something to experience. Please contact Kim Pemble at krpemble@gmail.com if you are interested in judging.

This year’s event will be in person at MSOE Kern Center and we will be implementing COVID protocols for the event - masks are required to be worn by everyone in all MSOE buildings, and STEM Forward is requiring proof of vaccination OR negative test result within 72 hours of event for all adults. Thank you for your cooperation and keeping everyone safe during this event.

We are requesting responses by Monday, Jan 3, 2022

Home for the Holidays – tips to make the most of the Holiday season

Your feelings about the holidays are very personal. Maybe you celebrate holidays or maybe you don’t – this time of the year may cause us to feel happy or sad or ambivalent. The past couple years have been life changing for many. This time of the year can cause stress because of:

 Overscheduling, overindulging, overspending

 Too much time with family or not enough

 Multiple caregiver roles

 Personal or family illness

 Work demands

 Expectations of what you should do

No matter how you feel, here are some tips to help you enjoy the holidays as much as possible.

1. Reflect on what is important to you during the holidays – be aware that you create your own energy. To share a quote “everything we do is infused with the energy with which we do it. If we’re frantic, life will be frantic. If we are peaceful, life will be peaceful.”

2. Plan but not over plan – try to plan at least one activity that is important to you. Initiate the activities with your family and friends. Consider volunteer activities. Realize that holiday season is a marathon and not a sprint. Pace yourself with your activities and get creative with scheduling.

3. Shop smart – reduce your shopping stress by avoiding stores at peak times like mid-day or early evening when people are starting to get off work. Make lists for not just what you have to shop and whom you have to shop for but for other related activities such as grocery shopping for family get togethers or other social events. This will help with keeping track of the spend and help you avoid overspending.

4. Switch it off – try to disconnect from your digital life for a bit. Pause and enjoy the time with your loved ones. Whatever you are doing, be present. Most of the time our thoughts are in the past, thinking about the things that happened, or about what will happen in future or what we must do. Channel yourself to be present – take in the smells, the sights, the sounds and the feelings.

5. Maintain a healthy lifestyle – try your best to make good food choices and relax to restore energy. Moderation is key so that your balance and emotional well-being are not negatively impacted.

How do you celebrate the Holiday season? We would love to hear from you. Send us your stories at  widairyland.info@himsschapter.org

Events Calendar

Quick sneak peek to our upcoming events

In-person campus event: Planned to be held at UW Whitewater on a Monday in February

HIMSS National: Mar 14^th – Mar 18^th at Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL

Virtual webinar: Apr 7^th

Spring Leadership: May 12^th, Venue TBD

Virtual or in-person: June 23^rd

Sponsor Spotlight

Our sponsor spotlight for this quarter is Bluetree Network!

Bluetree is now a Tegria company. Launched in 2020 with support from Providence, one of the country’s largest health systems, Tegria combines innovative technologies and services to create powerful solutions that humanize healthcare for everyone involved.

Check out their website to learn more!

While we have you here, checkout out sponsorship benefits webpage. While the benefits are largely the same, now might be a good time to review to see if you're effectively leveraging your benefits and decide whether a different sponsorship tier is for you. Email WI HIMSS Director of Sponsors, Tim McKeough, with any questions.

Wish you all a safe and happy holiday season. See you all in new year, 2022!