Focus Area: Community

Despite similar prevalence of depression between white and African American individuals, African Americans seek mental health care at lower rates and often turn to religion and faith as a primary coping mechanism. As a result, there is a need for African American clergy to partner with mental health experts to develop programming that is faith-based and culturally adapted. The overarching goal of this project was to partner with African American faith-based leaders to deliver a depression management program called Community Fellowship and Improve Thy Health (FAITH). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability to gather for in-person training, this project rapidly adapted its planned activities to focus on the immediate need to support pastors in the African American community. The project team developed and launched a survey to understand how African American pastors were coping as they supported their congregants and raised awareness of the implications of COVID-19 on mental health through several virtual presentations. Together, these efforts have helped congregants feel comfortable seeking help with depression and stress, and the African American community has begun talking more about the impact of depression and stress on individuals and families.

In order to better meet the oral health needs of Wisconsin children, there is a need for greater collaboration and resource sharing between free and charitable dental clinics in order to ensure the sustainability of each individual clinic. Wisconsin provides one of the lowest Medicaid dental reimbursement rates in the country, and as a result many private dental practice providers do not accept Medicaid. This has led to poor outcomes in oral health as only 30 percent of children on Wisconsin Medicaid receive dental care- the lowest rate nationwide. The overarching goal of this project was to create a system that ensures dental care for every child who needs it by collaborating with local schools and dentists to provide that care. Although this project team faced challenges implementing the Hometown Smiles dental program in schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to establish relationships with schools, student service teams, local dentists and statewide programs. Additionally, a dedicated website was built to facilitate easy access to information and contacts for all partners involved. Looking to the future, this project is working to secure funding to implement Hometown Smiles in schools with the ultimate goal of being self-sustaining through BadgerCare.

The Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association (RLWA), a community organization located inside JP Hair Design, Madison’s largest Black barbershop, used a Community Collaboration Grant to expand its work through the Black Men’s Wellness Sustainable Initiative (BMWSI). The BMWSI aimed to improve health and increase access to health care for Black males in Dane County, who are at higher risk for chronic conditions including heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma and diabetes, and who are less likely to have health insurance and are less likely to access health care systems than white males. This project has been successful in making significant progress toward each of its goals. BMWSI has taken steps to address the poor health outcomes of Black men in Dane County. The funding supported work to vaccinate 450 community members for COVID-19, provide health education and preventative screening and open the Perry Family Free Clinic which provides care exclusively to uninsured and under-insured Black men. BMWSI added two new Barbershop Men’s Health and Education Centers, giving access to more than 7,000 barbershop clientele each month. Further, BMWSI has helped 115 Black men secure BadgerCare coverage, and the project has inspired other communities to adopt the Barbershop Health Model to improve the health of Black residents in their community.

In Dane County, Black women and their families face the largest gaps in health care access and timely use of health care services. With this grant, the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness (FFBWW) was successful in establishing initiatives and approaches to successfully address and bridge these gaps. FFBWW launched a community-based Community Health Worker program, a Wellness Ambassador Program and initiatives that aim to improve birth outcomes for Black women and birthing persons. FFBWW used this grant to implement comprehensive health promotion and education programming to broadly serve and provide health improvement learning opportunities and experiences to Black women in and beyond Dane County. FFBWW also grew its Health Equity Internship Program which has become a sought-after training ground for emerging health care professionals and health equity leaders. Additionally, the FFBWW has become deeply involved in local and statewide policy work and published the Black Women Deserve Policy Blueprint Preamble. Through this work, FFBWW also has cultivated several partnerships with community partners, national policy and advocacy partners, private organizations and public agencies including philanthropy, health systems and government.

This project, led by Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), aimed to ensure students with mental health concerns achieve wellbeing, maximize their potential to engage in their education and grow academically to attain educational success. Low-income students are twice as likely to experience mental health concerns, and students of color are overrepresented among MMSD students living in poverty. These students also face disparities in access to mental health services, with only 20 percent receiving community support compared to 50 percent of their economically-advantaged peers. Multiple studies substantiate links between participation in mental health services and improved mental health and school participation and performance. The Behavioral Health in Schools (BHS) program, initially piloted in three schools, successfully expanded to 13 schools over five years. The population of students grew 63 percent annually, and clients were consistently seen for an average of 17 sessions per year. The program primarily served traditionally underserved students. Notable improvements were reported among elementary school students, while middle school outcomes varied. Caregivers emphasized positive changes in their child’s mental health and functioning and expressed additional desire to work on family communication. Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected benefits and challenges, including highlighting the vital role of virtual sessions and concerns about equity in service access.

This project, From Punishment to Restoration, aimed to implement a comprehensive intervention to bring about policy and systems change in order to address barriers to successful re-entry in Wisconsin, where the incarceration rate is the highest in the upper Midwest, and the state’s rate of incarceration for African American males is the highest in the nation. Incarceration is a public health problem with widespread negative effects on individuals and communities, including effects related to mental illness, alcohol and other substance addiction and chronic disease, all of which reflect priorities in community health improvement plans across the state. From Punishment to Restoration significantly transformed Wisconsin’s criminal justice landscape by boosting leadership and civic engagement among previously incarcerated individuals in Ex-Prisoners Organizing (EXPO) and performing a Health Impact Assessment (HIA). The HIA played a vital role in public education, highlighting the negative effects of parole and probation revocations on health, resulting in strengthened partnerships with public health organizations. The HIA also influenced agenda setting, legislative efforts and administrative changes at local and state levels, demonstrating its comprehensive impact on criminal justice reform in Wisconsin.

The Birth Outcomes Made Better (BOMB) Doula Program aimed to address and improve the poor birth outcomes experienced by Black mothers and infants in Milwaukee. Between 2016 and 2020, nearly 50 percent of Milwaukee births were to Black mothers, yet 70 percent of infant deaths were among Black infants. Because culturally appropriate support from doulas has been shown to significantly improve birth outcomes and maternal health, this approach was critical to address the disparities Black women and infants face in Milwaukee. The BOMB Doula Program successfully advanced its mission to improve birth outcomes for Black families in Milwaukee by providing crucial resources, health education and employment opportunities. By offering free doula services, the program ensured broad accessibility and met high demand by expanding its team from four to eight full-time employees. Additionally, the program trained doulas as Certified Lactation Counselors, increased appointment attendance and created sustainable employment opportunities.

This project, led by Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program, aimed to address the growing opioid addiction epidemic in rural Southwestern Wisconsin. The prevalence of opioid addiction in this region has reached critical levels, revealing gaps in health care infrastructure and capacity, including shortages of psychiatric and substance abuse professionals and a lack of accessible long-term recovery options. This situation forces affected individuals to seek care in distant urban areas, contributing to a cycle of recidivism without clear pathways for sustained treatment. This project made significant progress in addressing the opioid addiction in Southwestern Wisconsin. The Opportunity House provided essential housing and support to 48 residents in early recovery and expanded its capacity to serve both men and women. Collaborative efforts with county agencies, treatment providers and academic partners and educational events in the community have strengthened access to substance use treatment resources, fostered a more cohesive care network and made strides in reducing stigma in the region.

A grant to MACH OneHealth for the project titled Increasing Capacity for MACH OneHealth to Improve Health Access, Equity, and Outcomes for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness and Housing Insecurity will support the organization’s efforts to bridge gaps in the Madison healthcare system by ensuring that individuals experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness have equitable housing and healthcare.

Urban Triage has received an award for a project to support Black youth who have been disproportionality impacted during the pandemic. Their project will expand its transformative educational workgroup model to include access to telehealth resources and establish a youth-centered Hip Hop Based Educational (HHBE) workgroup to promote healing, resilience, self-esteem and connection. It will also support Black youth by providing training for existing social and emotional healthcare providers in the community through its Co-Conspirator workgroups. The partners will evaluate the impacts of services on adolescent mental health and well-being to inform sustainability and replication of workgroups.