Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute Launches 2011-2012 Community Teams

Milwaukee/Madison, Wisconsin - Seven teams from across Wisconsin have been selected to participate in a leadership training program that will help prepare them to address their communities' most pressing health concerns.

Participants in the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute's 2011-2012 Community Teams Program will address obesity, mental illness, sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, family stability and infant mortality.

Teams receive training and technical assistance in collaborative leadership and community and public health skills from state and national experts as they undertake projects related to community health priorities.

Teams come together three times during the program for workshops held in central locations, participate in regular webinars and receive in-community technical assistance.

Participants in the 2011-2012 program represent multiple public and private sectors, including health care and human service providers, local businesses, community residents, public health agencies, academics, and public officials.

"Communities participating in the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute have been remarkably successful in engaging community members and leaders, and effectively leveraging resources to make the places we live, work and play healthier for all," said Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. "We are confident that this year's teams will also continue this tradition."

The UW School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH) is partnering with the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) to provide the training.

"Engagement at the community level enhances the collaborative spirit of the Wisconsin Partnership Program and Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin," said Dr. Joseph E. Kerschner, interim dean and executive vice president of the Medical College of Wisconsin. "The programs outlined here will lead to better health throughout our state."

The Wisconsin community teams include:

• The Beloit LIHF Team is applying the Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families (LIHF) model of evidence-based interventions to reduce pre-term births and decrease racial disparities in birth outcomes for African Americans in Beloit.
  
  
• The Central Wisconsin Health Partnerships Team is working toward better access to mental and behavioral health services in central Wisconsin through increasing effective, early behavioral health intervention for underserved populations. The Central Wisconsin team spans Adams, Juneau, Marquette, Waushara and Green Lake counties.
  
  
• The CHIPP Team is working to increase the ability of communities across Wisconsin to conduct effective community health improvement plans and processes (CHIPP).
  
  
• The Fostering Futures Team is focusing on creating a plan to improve family stability by integrating trauma-informed care principles into the organizations and systems that serve roughly 6,500 Wisconsin children in foster care.
  
  
• The Healthier Douglas County Team is focusing on obesity prevention through environmental and policy changes that will encourage healthier physical activity and eating choices.
  
  
• The Healthy People Wisconsin-Oneida Tribe Team is working to increase use of health services, screening opportunities, and preventive community resources to create change in the Oneida community's health, wellness and lifestyle.
  
  
• The Sexually Transmitted Diseases Reduction Task Force Team is developing a community-wide strategic plan to reduce cases of STDs among youth ages 15-24 in Winnebago County.

The Community Teams Program is one component of the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute, a joint program of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and Medical College of Wisconsin. The program is funded through the Wisconsin Partnership Program and Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin. The Institute is co-led by Dr. Peter Layde, of the Medical College of Wisconsin and Dr. Thomas Oliver of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.