News Releases: 2025

With the U.S. House of Representatives proposing $880 billion in cuts to the federal budget, substantial impacts to Medicaid and other health programs are unavoidable.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has announced its annual Wisconsin BigShot awards, celebrating 90 Wisconsin health care providers for protecting children's health by ensuring they are up to date on childhood vaccinations, including measles, pertussis, meningitis, and HPV.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reports a decrease in the rate at which tobacco and vape retailers sold to underage consumers last year, with annual data showing a decline from 13.6% in 2023 to 11.8% in 2024. These results come from the Synar Survey, an annual statewide assessment of the retailer violation rate. In 2019, the rate was 5.5% and reached its highest point in 2021 when the rate was 14.1%.

This STI Awareness Week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is sharing new data to help public health and health care leaders focus prevention efforts and support the sexual health of all Wisconsinites. According to new preliminary 2024 Wisconsin STI surveillance data, STI rates are decreasing overall but continue to be high throughout the state. In 2024, DHS received 31,576 reports of STIs (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia).

March is Self-Harm Awareness Month, and this spring break season the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) wants parents, caregivers, and those who work with young people to know that self-harm among those ages 10-19 typically increases following a return from school breaks and in the final weeks of the school year.

Today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) highlights critical portions of Gov. Evers' 2025-27 DHS budget proposal, which was introduced February 18, 2025.

Gov. Tony Evers, as previewed in his 2025 State of the State address, announced approval of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services' (DHS) emergency rule to strengthen standards to protect more kids from further lead exposure.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has confirmed the first pediatric influenza-associated death in our state for the 2024-2025 season. Nationwide, 16 pediatric influenza-associated deaths have been reported.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has launched a digital education and outreach campaign highlighting the dangers of menthol in commercial tobacco products and focused on the impact that targeted marketing of these products has on certain communities.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) now offers free online training to become a certified direct care professional (CDCP) in English, Spanish, and Hmong. CDCPs care for older adults and people with disabilities in their homes or community living spaces, helping with bathing, dressing, eating, exercise, and other daily activities.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) awarded agencies in communities across the state more than $21 million from the state’s latest share of opioid settlement funds from October through December of 2024, the largest amount awarded in a quarterly period since Wisconsin began receiving funds in 2022 from the national litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical distributors, and pharmacy chains.

With high respiratory illness activity throughout the state, the Department of Health Services (DHS) urges Wisconsinites to get vaccinated against respiratory illnesses as soon as possible and reminds them it's not too late to get the protection that can help avoid serious illness this season.

Radon, a colorless, odorless gas, can seep into homes through their foundation and be deadly at high levels. In Wisconsin, 1 in 10 homes has elevated levels. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and approximately 962 Wisconsinites have radon-induced lung cancer. Fortunately, radon is easy to test for and leaks can be fixed.