Wisconsin Partnership Program funding projects to reduce health inequities

The Wisconsin Partnership Program is awarding $750,000 to 15 community projects that aim to reduce health inequities.

As part of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the grants are being awarded through the program’s Community Catalyst grant program. Each award is financing projects for up to two years.

“These awards enable the Wisconsin Partnership Program to support communities across Wisconsin in their innovative, grassroots solutions to local health challenges and disparities,” said Dr. Amy Kind, chair of the partnership’s Oversight and Advisory Committee.

A number of these projects are focused on mental health. They include:

*Farmer Suicide Prevention, a project from the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program to develop community-based intervention practices for the farming community. It’s noted in a UW release that the suicide rate for farmers is more than five times higher than for the general public.

*A program called Lilada’s Livingroom providing health services to African-American women and girls, in particular those who’ve survived sexual abuse. This project will create a “virtual safe space” with social media resources for teenage girls.

*Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Education and Awareness Initiative for Wisconsin’s Indian Country. This project — from the Great Lakes Native American Elder Association and the Great Lakes Intertribal Council — will put Alzheimer’s experts in the same room with tribal elders. The project will also include educational programs for the broader communities.

*Community Fellowship to Improve Health, a collaborative project creating a depression management program for African Americans in the state. Goals include reducing symptoms of depression and stress, and increasing awareness of health disparities.

The project is being undertaken by the Second Baptist Church, the YWCA Madison and the Urban League of Greater Madison, with academic partner Dr. Earlise Ward, from the UW-Madison School of Nursing.

Some of the other projects relate to reducing lead levels in Milwaukee neighborhoods, improving health services for transgender individuals, increasing access to health resources for Spanish-speaking Wisconsinites and more.

See the full list of awarded projects here: http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=392964