Focus Area: Community

Nehemiah Community Development Corporation, Inc. will expand its Justified Anger pilot work through an initiative titled Reducing Health Inequity through Promotion of Social Connection, which focuses on reducing disparities in overall health among African Americans by addressing implicit and structural racism.

This project, Legacy Community Alliance for Health (LCAH), aimed to to strengthen the collaboration between Green Tier Legacy Communities (GTLC) and the UniverCity Alliance (UCA) by leveraging academic expertise to address health improvement and health equity at the local policy making level. GTLC are communities that signed a charter pledging to lead initiatives that promote environmental stewardship, economic growth, public health and social equity, and UCA is a partnership among leading centers, departments and schools at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that applies campus-based education, service and research to further the sustainability, resilience, livability and wellbeing of cities. The need for collaboration between these organizations stemmed from a GTLC survey that indicated participating communities lacked knowledge and experience with Health in All Policies (HiAP) frameworks and Health Impact Assessment (HIA) methods, and all respondents felt that their communities would benefit from assistance from academic partners in addressing issues of health and equity. LCAH significantly contributed to advancing health equity in Wisconsin by providing training for 216 individuals across 18 communities and creating HiAP virtual modules with case studies from 15 communities in the state. Notable achievements include collaborations with cities like Appleton, which passed the first HiAP Ordinance in Wisconsin, and Fitchburg, addressing neighborhood barriers through the Healthy Neighborhoods initiative. The project’s impact extended to improved collaborations in Oshkosh, the introduction of HIAs in Wisconsin Rapids and initiatives promoting housing reforms and community health improvements in Ashland and Bayfield County.

This project, led by Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, aimed to address the health inequities and socioeconomic challenges faced by residents of Metcalfe Park by promoting housing security, improving residential stability and enhancing the neighborhood’s built environment. Metcalfe Park is a predominantly African American neighborhood in Milwaukee that has experienced decades of disinvestment and neglect due to segregation and biased public and private investment. The project achieved its goals and key accomplishments include establishing a Community Land Trust, purchasing five city-owned vacant lots for green spaces and connecting residents with resources for tenant and homeownership rights, credit recovery and financial literacy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mutual Aid Program distributed essential supplies, established four mobile food pantries and offered four vaccine clinics. Additionally, the project advanced workforce development through partnerships with WE Energies and Madison Area Technical College (MATC) who offered residents pathways to apprenticeships and well-paying jobs through the new utility pole electrical training site in Metcalfe Park.

Menikanaehkem, Inc., a grassroots community organization based on the Menominee Reservation in Northeast Wisconsin, will use its award to address poverty, housing and trauma as part of its efforts to rebuild its community and improve health outcomes.

National Alliance on Mental Illness Southeast Wisconsin, Inc (NAMI SEWI), was awarded a grant to adapt and expand the capacity of the “Compassion Resilience Toolkit,” a resource for parents and caregivers supporting youth with mental health needs. In partnership with Rogers Behavioral Health, this project will establish caregiver groups and facilitator trainings, to create psychologically safe spaces for skill development and resilience building. As a result, parents and caregivers will have the tools to minimize compassion fatigue and increase their ability to support their children facing mental health challenges as they move through and beyond the pandemic. In addition, the team will partner with Milwaukee’s Core El Centro to recruit Spanish-speaking parents/caregivers to train as group facilitators.

GSAFE, an organization working to create school communities where all LGBTQ youth and students thrive, has received a grant to deliver critically needed social-emotional supports to some of the most vulnerable adolescents in Wisconsin. This project aims to support BIPOC, Trans, Nonbinary LGBTQ+ adolescents impacted by COVID-19 through new programs and resources that expand pathways to youth leadership and increase educators’ ability to provide affirming and inclusive classrooms and schools.

PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship for Social and Emotional Health aimed to engage Wisconsin youth as key partners and experts in addressing the social and emotional health (SEH) impacts of COVID-19. PATCH (Providers and Teens Communicating for Health), is a Wisconsin-based program that aims to improve adolescent health and well-being by engaging, educating and empowering youth and adults to partner for positive change. The PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship successfully completed two years of programming, offering 25 youth a 10-month opportunity to gain skills and lead community advocacy projects, such as creating widely adopted suicide response policies for schools. The fellows consulted with over 30 organizations and contributed their voices and perspectives to a number of events typically reserved for adults. Comprehensive evaluation led to the fellowship’s replication in Ohio and the launch of the PATCH Alumni Impact Study. The PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship, now renamed the PATCH Teen Consultant Program, continues to empower youth and expand opportunities for meaningful engagement in health advocacy.

This project, led by La Crosse County Human Services, aimed to enhance the La Crosse System of Care (SOC) through the addition of two part-time community cultural liaisons to help address the social and emotional health needs of adolescents. The La Crosse SOC supports youth by prioritizing mental health, safety and self-sufficiency over punitive measures, through a partnership between the School District of La Crosse and La Crosse County. Nearly 50 percent of referred youth are racially diverse, highlighting the need for more cultural liaisons to address current racial tensions and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minority communities. The project successfully improved the La Crosse SOC and advanced adolescents’ social and emotional health by forming meaningful connections between 49 Black youth and caring adults. This led to improved school attendance, participation in activities and greater parental involvement. The project also increased workforce diversity and community support capacity by adding cultural liaison positions. Finally, La Crosse County Human Services strengthened and expanded networks and partnerships which created opportunities for youth and supported parents and caregivers.

Menikanaehkem, a grassroots organization based on the Menominee Reservation in Northeast Wisconsin, will use its grant to help build behavioral, social and hands-on skills for youth as they learn about their native language and cultures, and nature-based healing and resilience. This project promotes mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellness through practices that are traditional to the Menominee tribal people.

This project, led by the Great Lakes Native American Elder Association (GLNAEA), aimed to to educate and empower tribal communities while creating or harnessing existing resources to serve families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs). American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) individuals have been identified to be at high risk for ADRDs, with higher incidences of early- and late-onset dementias compared to other ethnic groups. To address this, GLNAEA hosted nine educational events that focused on promoting awareness of ADRDs and discussing their effects on the community. Awareness grew over time, with 120 individuals Attendance grew over time, with the most well-attended event attracting 120 individuals, reflecting a strong interest among elders. These events featured Indigenous speakers, including clinicians and researchers specializing in dementia and aging, who were crucial in building the trust needed for the elders to engage with the content.