DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake today released the following statement after a visit to Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy:

“Protecting the health and safety of Wisconsin’s children is a top priority for Governor Evers and all of us at DHS. We are so proud to partner with organizations like Children’s Wisconsin who are pioneering family-centered approaches to ensuring children, their families, and caregivers have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Children’s Wisconsin is a leader in this work, vaccinating children at their appointments and also providing opportunities for the whole family to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.

We thank our federal partners for recognizing Wisconsin’s vaccination efforts during today’s visit. We offer a special thanks to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden for all of her work across the country to encourage pediatric COVID-19 vaccination. We appreciate the opportunity to celebrate the dedication of Wisconsin’s health care workers and vaccinators today. We know this work would not be possible without the commitment of local, state, and federal partners working hand-in-hand to protect all Wisconsinites.

We urge every Wisconsinite who is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine or booster dose to get it, especially as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider in your community, visit Vaccines.gov or call 211"