CONTACT: Ian Clark
(608) 890-5641
iclark@uwhealth.org
MADISON, Wis. —As communities across Wisconsin come together to address common health problems, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI) has developed a tool to help communities, organizations, and individuals easily assess and share the health-related work taking place in their local communities.
Across Wisconsin, local health departments and non-profit hospitals are working with each other and with other community organizations and community members to assess local health needs and pick priorities for action. The new online tool arranges these efforts by county, giving all communities a snapshot of local health-improvement priorities and action plans from across the state.
Building awareness of shared priorities and highlighting strategies creates opportunities for shared learning and cooperation, according to Karen Timberlake, director of the UW Population Health Institute (UWPHI).
“Supporting local efforts to improve health is essential to making Wisconsin the healthiest state. Communities across Wisconsin are working together to help people live longer, healthier lives,” she said. “This new resource, www.improvingwihealth.org, is designed to help those working on common challenges across the state to connect with each other, share ideas, and make faster progress.”
The UWPHI collected community health-needs assessments and implementation plans developed by hospitals under a new requirement of the Affordable Care Act. Researchers also analyzed local health department community health-improvement plans, conducted by local health departments under provisions of Wisconsin state law. Where available, UWPHI captured snapshots of the specific strategies, tactics and programs being deployed or planned in communities to drive improvement in priority areas.
Eight priority areas appeared most frequently in the local health improvement plans developed across the state, including access to health care, excessive alcohol consumption, drug abuse, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, obesity and tobacco use.
The plans reveal that hospitals and local health departments, together with their planning partners, are tackling challenges by bridging clinical interventions and community health approaches.
For example, New London Family Medical Center has chosen to focus on alcohol and drug use as two of their priority areas. Strategies being pursued include:
Exploring the possibility of implementing the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral for Treatment) clinical protocol to screen for substance abuse and refer for help; and
Continuing provision of support for alcohol- and drug free-prom and graduation parties.
Along with their planning partners, Aurora Memorial Hospital in Burlington also chose to pursue strategies to address problematic alcohol and drug use. Their implementation strategies include:
Supporting the training of local EMS providers and first responders about drugs to facilitate appropriate early response to potential overdose or other misuse; and
Working with community partners to implement medication collection boxes so residents can dispose of unused, unneeded or expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
“The work involved in creating healthier communities is not new to Wisconsin hospitals. They have a long tradition of identifying health priorities and partnering with like-minded organizations in the community to address those needs,” according to Wisconsin Hospital Association President Steve Brenton. “We are fortunate to have UWPHI as a statewide partner with us in this work. I believe our efforts to improve population health will move us closer to creating the healthy future we all envision for Wisconsin’s citizens.”
In a number of cases, hospitals and local health departments conducted joint community health needs assessments and identified common priorities. A broad coalition in Polk County, including three hospitals and the Polk County Health Department, has identified nutrition, physical activity and obesity as priorities. Strategies include improving the availability of healthy foods in schools and ensuring that healthcare providers can help patients attain and maintain a healthy weight.
The Wisconsin Partnership Program provided a grant to support analysis of the health needs assessments and development of the website. To learn more about this project, visit www.improvingwihealth.org.
The UW Population Health Institute advances health and well-being for all by developing and promoting evidence-based approaches to health improvement through policy and practice at the local, state, and national levels. More information is available at http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu.
