In December of 2021, Dr. Ann Hoyt headed to Seoul, South Korea, to participate in the 33rd World Cooperative Congress. The Congress brings together more than 300 cooperative federations and organizations from 109 countries. The conference this past year worked under the theme “Deepening Our Cooperative Identity,” where the conference focused on the current COVID-19 crises and held discussions aimed to deepen the cooperative identity. Dr. Ann Hoyt brought back immense knowledge that will help GHC-SCW work towards being Better Together for everyone.
By Dr. Ann Hoyt, GHC-SCW Board Chair
Early last December, 500 brave souls from around the world got vaccinated, boosted and tested to stand up to the pandemic and attend the 33rd World Cooperative Congress sponsored by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). An additional 1500 people joined the conference online. What, you might ask, would generate such a high level of international participation in a cooperative conference. It was an opportunity to explore how to live the values and principles that are the shared identity of the cooperatives throughout the world.
ICA is the global steward of the internationally accepted Statement of Cooperative Identity, which describes cooperative businesses’ values, principles, and definitions. The goal of the Congress was to focus the cooperative movement on exploring and deepening its identity by “examining its values, strengthening its actions, committing to its principles and living its achievements.” The statement combines fundamental moral and ethical values and principles that guide all cooperators when we need to make difficult decisions, and it is the essence of who we are.
Martin Lowery, the Chair of ICA’s Identity Committee and the force behind the Congress, has explained, “there’s something unique about people who are attracted to the cooperative enterprise that doesn’t show in any obvious way; it shows more in the subtlety of [their] relationships. There’s a sense of wanting to collaborate, a sense of kindness, a sense of caring for one another…. There’s a commonality there, a commonality of humanity, of a sense of belonging and caring for one another that one doesn’t always find in society.”
In focusing on our identity, the Congress was informative and inspiring. We learned of the many opportunities to increase inclusivity throughout our co-ops; we have increased needs for culturally relevant education and training regarding our cooperative identity in various formats; and climate change demands a new socio-economic model that lies in multilateralism and cooperation. These and other themes were consistent with the nearly 100 year ICA commitment to fostering peace. That is, not only ending overt violence but creating communities of cooperation and integration, reconciliation, and equality.
To quote one of our speakers, “The time for talking is done, and the time for action is now.” And to quote a wise teacher, “I wish we could learn to love ourselves less and our children’s future more.”
This is our moment!
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You and read more about the Congress at https://icaworldcoopcongress.coop/stories/
You can find the Cooperative Identity Statement at https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity
Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (GHC-SCW) Sauk Trails clinic is closed due to flooding from Monday’s rainfall.
The clinic is located on Excelsior Drive on the west side of Madison, which was hit extremely hard with the August 20 torrential downpours. Services affected at the Sauk Trails Clinic include: Primary Care, Mental Health, Complementary Medicine, Chiropractic, Pharmacy, Central Lab and Call Center. GHC-SCW clinic staff worked well into the night last night to combat the rising waters and today staff are pulling together to respond timely to patient needs and requests.
Water Coming Up the Stairs From Our Sauk Trails Clinic Lower Level
Patients with appointments scheduled for today and the rest of the week will receive calls from the clinic and GHC-SCW staff will continue to call patients for cancelations and reschedules as needed. Anyone with questions can call (608) 828-4853 or toll-free at (800) 605-4327 and request Member Services.
Intersection By Our Sauk Trails Clinic Parking Lot Entrance
Patients who have prescriptions at the Sauk Trails Pharmacy and would like to transfer them to a different GHC-SCW Pharmacy should call (608) 831-1766. Patients who would like to transfer their prescriptions to a pharmacy outside of GHC-SCW should have the outside pharmacy call (608) 831-1766.
GHC-SCW patients with urgent needs are asked to call the GHC-SCW NurseConnect line at (608) 661-7350. If you have an emergency, call 911.
Stay tuned to your email and check ghcscw.com for further updates.
Group Health Cooperative is happy to be partnering with the Madison Mallards in 2018! With our sponsorship comes many exciting things not only for Group Health Cooperative, but for the entire Madison Community!
Salute to Madison Night at the Madison Mallards – July 11th, 2018
On July 11th, the Madison Mallards players will be wearing one-of-a-kind jerseys that focus on the great city we live in, Madison. After the game, these jerseys will be auctioned off and all the money raised will be donated to Project Home.
Project Home is a Madison based non-profit that’s mission is to improve the quality and affordability of housing for low-to-moderate income residents in Dane and Green County, WI. They perform home repairs, accessibility modifications and energy improvements to make homes healthier, safer and to ease the financial burden of high energy bills for people who are struggling financially.
There will also be an opportunity for children and adults to pay $1 for a coloring page to draw what “Home Means to Them”. The money raised from this will also be donated to Project Home, and the individual will be entered into a drawing to win a special prize!
So come out and join us on July 11th to salute the great city of Madison and all the hard work Project Home does to make it a better place to live.
Goat Yoga at the Madison Mallards – July 17th, 2018 starting at 5:30
Have you ever heard of Goat Yoga?! Well now is your chance to find out what it is all about:
GHC-SCW will be sponsoring Goat Yoga in the outfield of the Mallard’s stadium on July 17th before the game! Participants will have the chance to do yoga alongside live goats, and the goats may even jump up on your back! How cool is that?!
Stay tuned if you would like to sign-up for this unique experience. There is only room for 100 participants!
GHC-SCW Project Home-Run
All season long, every time a Madison Mallards player hits a homerun, GHC-SCW will donate $100 to Project Home! Just another reason to cheer for your hometown team this summer!
Written By: Dr. Mark Huth, Chief Executive Officer at GHC
Welcome to GHC-SCW’s new blog! Our blog will give us a unique opportunity to share news, updates and healthy living content, while also offering a place for us to interact with our members and the community. If you’re wondering what you can expect from the content you find on our blog, and how the information here differs from the information you may find on our website, read on.
Our blog will allow us to leverage social technologies to engage in two-way communication with our community and to take your feedback into consideration as we move through the ever-changing health care and insurance landscape. Here you’ll find patient stories, resources for members, local event updates as well as details on opportunities to engage with GHC-SCW. In addition, we’ll use the blog to share multimedia, such as videos, photo albums and more.
You’ll also find news articles penned by our very own providers and staff. The posts will cover a range of topics from “Screen Time and Your Child” to “5 Ways to Protect Your Skin from the Sun” – all designed to give you and your family the tools and tips you need to lead healthy lives.
As we continue to build our blog, we’ll also create health care and insurance-specific content so you can learn more about the latest news and research.
We look forward to growing with you as we embark on this new journey. Thanks for stopping by!