MADISON, Wis. – Epic is still moving forward with its phased approach to getting staff back to campus, but will no longer make its plan mandatory.
Earlier this month, the company announced that it would require its 9,000 workers to return to work on September 21, with the exception of those who have to stay home with their children or who have a high-risk medical condition.
Epic employees are still being asked to return to work in person as originally planned, but those who are worried are no longer required to do so, according to an email sent to employees on Saturday night.
“We recognize that you may feel anxious when you return to work for various reasons,” reads the email. “This is a new situation for everyone, and these feelings of uncertainty are understandable.”
Friday night, a Dane County Public Health Supervisor asked Madison & Dane County to look into Epic’s plan to bring employees back to the company’s campus. According to the email received by News 3 Now, Epic has reached out to PHMDC to make sure its plan is in line with the Department of Health’s mandates.
Epic sent a letter to Public Health on Saturday night, acknowledging that it received the department’s letter on Thursday about the company’s plan to bring staff back to campus.
“We at Epic care deeply about the health of our staff, their families, the wider Dane County community, and the hundreds of millions of patients who care about the use of our software,” the letter read. “We have worked insufficiently in recent months to ensure that we provide a safe environment in which our staff can carry out critical health care and public health work. We are confident that we are and will continue to be in compliance with the Emergency Order # PHMDC. “
Epic said it has partnered with health experts to review its safety plans, including Dr Stephen Ostroff, who previously served as the Food and Drug Administration’s acting commissioner for health. The company also said that the Dr. Nicky Quick, the former top public health officer of Orange County, hired as an in-house public health expert.
“Businesses all over the country are reopening. If we work together, “read the letter,” we believe we can help create a model for similar businesses of how to successfully bring people back to work in a way that is in the best interests of public health. during the COVID-19 pandemic. “
Epic’s back-to-work schedule includes daily self-assessments of health, required masks inside, physical distance, regular hand washing and meeting in the bathroom, whenever possible, according to the email received by News 3 Now.
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