Birchwood Family Medicine

10/21/2025

Please note that this week is Birchwood Family Medicine's Fall Inservice week. Clinic is open per usual though staff are in various trainings throughout the week to serve you better! We had hoped to announce an expansion of our physical space this week, though instead, we are working through an unexpected staffing change. Please help us:
*welcome Hunter as our new Member Service Specialist, a role focused solely on making our Members' Experience as High-Value as possible, and...
*wish Madison well as she returns to her family's business!

“As I approach the end of my time at Birchwood Family Medicine, I wanted to express how thankful I am for the opportunity I had to work here with the incredible staff at BWFM and its patients. I wish the best to you all!” - Madison

10/20/2025

FYI that our systems were also affected by the Global Internet Outage affecting many businesses globally (see attached - not a complete list) overnight. We are open & working but experiencing intermittent disruptions & outages across multiple areas of Spruce & Passport, including sending and receiving messages, calls, SMS, faxes, and video visits.

Read More here: https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/amazon-tech-outage-10-20-25-intl

10/17/2025

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves Roots MD Direct Care Family Medicine!

10/15/2025

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!

It's that time of the year, and we are in need of snowmakers.

As a snowmaker, you will be involved in the operation of equipment and ensuring top-quality snow for our guests!

This position generally lasts 4 to 8 weeks, and when snowmaking is finished for the season, you have the option to move into another position at the hill.

To Apply, head over to www.christiemountain.com or give us a call at 715-868-7800

10/15/2025

10/09/2025

𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 (𝐃𝐕𝐀𝐌) 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫! Below, you’ll find details on events and displays happening throughout the month to raise awareness and support survivors of violence.

Throughout October:

"Brew Love, Not Hate" Campaign: For the sixth year, Embrace is partnering with local coffee shops to spread awareness. Stop by Badger Brew in Rice Lake, grab a coffee, and show your support by using our custom coffee sleeves. ☕

You can also help raise awareness by purchasing a Purple Power tea at Surge in Rice Lake and a Purple Treat at Simply Cake Couture in Rice Lake.

Did you know that 1 in every 6 domestic violence homicides occurs in WI? A big “thank you” goes out to Cheese Louise Sandwiches in Rice Lake for helping to spread awareness and information about Embrace’s support services by including a flyer in their to-go bags throughout the month.

Upcoming Events:

Purple Thursday
🗓️ October 16
Show your support for survivors by wearing purple! Snap a photo and tag Embrace on social media, or email it to me to be featured on our accounts.

Virtual Letter-Writing Event: Survived & Incarcerated in WI
🗓️ October 30 | ⏰ 1pm | 💻 Zoom
Join Embrace for a special Zoom event where they’ll discuss domestic violence cases, dual arrests, and the myth of the ‘perfect victim.’ Plus, we’ll be writing letters of support to incarcerated survivors in Wisconsin. No registration needed—just join at: bit.ly/dvam25si

Stay Connected:

Follow Embrace on Facebook and Instagram for updates on events, collaborating partners, national statistics, and the services Embrace provides. We’re excited to come together as a community to raise awareness and stand with survivors of domestic violence.

10/09/2025

If you buy your health insurance on the HealthCare.gov, you likely know that your monthly premiums are projected to increase by 75% starting in January 2026. 🤬
~ If you haven't heard, you'll be receiving notices from your insurance plans soon advising on whether you will be affected. This does not affect Medicare, Forward Health or plans obtained through an employer.
~ This is happening because the tax credits we Americans 🇺🇸currently receive for having health insurance are set to expire at the end of 2025, and Congress neglected to extend funding for the credits in their recently-passed budget reconciliation bill ✅.
~ Right now, there is an *URGENT* 🚨 need for Congress to act to protect millions of Americans’ health insurance. If you purchase insurance on the Marketplace or have "Obamacare" through the Affordable Care Act, this affects you personally ‼️However - the impact/demands placed on the system when millions lose their insurance will ultimately affect us all greatly 😞

As someone on the ground, I can tell you that it has been a difficult year for American Healthcare, and there is 0️⃣% chance that many will be able to afford $1500-$1900 💵 a month for premiums. At the start of the year, health insurance premiums & deductibles were unaffordable for most. It's gotten steadily worse throughout the year & we need congress to ACT before people are killed ☠️.
~ If this is all news 🗞️ to you, it is likely because you happen to get your news from a source owned by the very same billionaires & corporations who are set to profit 💰 from this bill. Check out PlayGround News and search for the facts. It's time to understand that they have been lying to you because they profit when we fight each other. You can explore birchwoodfamilymedicine.com/blog to read more about the assault American Healthcare 👩🏼‍⚕️ has been under in 2025 and what you can do.
~ What is happening is not normal. We encourage you to URGE your representatives to EXTEND THE ACA TAX CREDITS and preserve the current state, which provides "affordable" healthcare coverage for millions of Americans. Give our 54817 Elected Officials a ☎️ 📧 📪 🪧 ( Representative Tom Tiffany Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Ron Johnson) to let them know what you'd like them to do - they work for us & their job is to represent our collective needs. Click here to find your elected officials: https://5calls.org/issue/aca-healthcare-tax-credits-budget-reconciliation/
~ Unfortunately, even if we are successful in these tax credits to continue, we won't see any improvements in American Healthcare. But it WILL prevent things from getting a lot worse 📉 (really soon) for millions of us. BTW, in 25 years of medicine, I have never met (nor heard of) an *insured* undocumented immigrant.
~ Note: none of this affects the day-to-day operations of Birchwood Family Medicine as we do not require insurance to care for our members 👍🏼. None of that is changing. Members: consult your Member Insurance Guide for more information about how the system works and let us know how we can help! 💪🏼🩺❤️

Update October 1, 2025: The federal government has shut down after Democrats refused to accept a GOP stopgap spending plan that failed to extend ACA …

10/07/2025

What do you do when the echocardiogram you ordered 6 weeks ago at a local insurance-based facility still isn't scheduled and your patient needs it before their scheduled procedure next week?

Your Direct Primary Care (DPC) team arranges to have it done SAME DAY in clinic for less than 10% of the insurance-based cost so your patient can have the procedure they need. BOOM! 💥 ✔ Thanks again Shared Medical Technology!

10/01/2025

If you're one of the millions facing steep increases in copays & deductibles, we encourage you to take the time to learn about Direct Primary Care & think about your healthcare in a different way. Come experience what careful, kind, evidence-based, affordable medical care feels like.

Sign-up here: https://birchwoodfamilymedicine.hint.com/signup/membership

10/01/2025

Many thanks to a special member for donating to our collection of medical antiques!

10/01/2025

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/sprout-organics-expands-voluntary-recall-sweet-potato-apple-and-spinach-include-additional-lot-codes

Sprout Organics is expanding its September 16, 2025 recall of Sprout Organics® Sweet Potato Apple and Spinach, due to potentially elevated lead levels, to include additional lots.