Grant Type: Community Grant

Centro Hispano of Dane County and its academic and community partners sought to improve Latino health in Dane County through improved access to mental health services. Centro Hispano of Dane County and its academic and community partners including UW-Madison developed a bilingual certificate in Counseling, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology to advance the quality of accessible linguistically and culturally competent services that support the mental health of the Latino community in Dane County. This project helped increase the number of trained professionals to serve Latino communities

This project, Improving Assisted Living Quality through Collaborative System Change, aimed to expand current Wisconsin Coalition for Collaborative Excellence in Assisted Living (WCCEAL) efforts to establish a comprehensive and robust quality infrastructure for Wisconsin Assisted Living Communities (ALCs).The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has developed a comprehensive system to measure and monitor quality of care received in nursing homes, but ALCs are typically not included in these efforts to measure, monitor and improve quality of care. The absence of a quality measurement system for ALCs is underscored by the fact that they are not regulated by the federal government, and as such, the standards of care and training and even the definitions of “assisted living” vary from state to state. Over the course of the project, WCCEAL membership was increased by 28 percent and three important policies were adopted by the Division of Medicaid Services (DMS) at the state level to help sustain the initiative. Additionally, new partnerships were cultivated and existing partnerships were strengthened over the course of this project.

This project, First Breath Families (FBF), aimed to fill the gap in access to perinatal smoking cessation services for low-income Wisconsin women, thereby improving the health of mothers, infants and families. FBF is a comprehensive cessation support system for pregnant women and household smokers and supports them from pregnancy through six months postpartum. Smoking during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of adverse birth outcomes, and in Wisconsin, 15 percent of women report smoking during their pregnancies. Despite the risks associated with smoking, many women who quit during pregnancy face high postpartum relapse rates due to social challenges and lack of access to cessation services. FBF successfully expanded its evidence-based perinatal tobacco cessation program across Wisconsin, engaging 2,300 pregnant and postpartum individuals. The program achieved substantial progress in smoking cessation, increasing rates from 26 percent of participants in 2019 to 56 percent in 2023. Additionally, the program has trained 1,388 providers in tobacco screening and intervention, with high satisfaction and confidence reported among newly recruited providers. Finally, FBF expanded its reach through over 50 new partnerships, ensuring broad accessibility to cessation services statewide, including coverage in all Wisconsin counties.

This project, Central Wisconsin Health Partnership’s Collective Impact: Moving Towards Resilience, aimed to raise awareness of health inequities in Central Wisconsin and mitigate them through policy change. The Central Wisconsin Health Partnership (CWHP) includes Family Health La Clinica and Adams, Green Lake, Marquette, Juneau, Waupaca and Waushara counties. The project yielded significant results, including the hire of a Community Health Engagement Coordinator and the identification of the region’s primary health concerns, including substance use disorders, mental health, lack of transportation and chronic disease, through a comprehensive community needs survey. These outcomes led to resource allocation, educational programs and advocacy efforts including the implementation of Health in All Policy (HiAP) resolutions in some regional counties.

This initiative, designed for and by Black men, aims to improve the mental-emotional health and well-being of Black men in Southeastern Wisconsin in order to achieve higher quality of life and longevity. In Wisconsin, African American men have a life expectancy seven years shorter than white men and are more likely to report serious psychological stress and feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. Black men face health equity issues including low mental health literacy and education, stigma around mental health problems and lack of access to mental health support services. Their stress has been further heightened by the dual crises of COVID-19 and racial injustice. The initiative will normalize and destigmatize mental health issues in the Black community, improve access to mental health supports and help men address the historical and current health inequities they are experiencing.

The Good Hood project, led by The Mellowhood Foundation, aimed to cultivate a more empowered community by securing financial resources to pay more adults a living wage, offering more youth opportunities in paid programs and enhancing educational opportunities. Systemic racism has significantly impacted Madison’s Meadowood community, resulting in feelings of hopelessness among community members and contributing to poverty, crime, housing instability and mental and physical health issues. Good Hood successfully enhanced community infrastructure, safety and housing quality. It supported residents facing eviction, assisted new renters with security deposits and ensured access to healthy food through a food share program. To improve health and well-being, a summer program was launched to address immediate food insecurity needs, and 16 youth were engaged in activities that promote physical exercise, stress management and mental focus. Finally, the project formed new, and maintained old, partnerships which helped to distribute resources, support educational initiatives and address key social issues in the community.

This project led by Common Wealth Development, Inc. aimed to improve health outcomes and advance health equity in Madison’s Meadowood community. Members of this community face barriers to several social determinants of health, and these disparities contribute to poorer health outcomes. Substantial progress was made through a coordinated care model and community engagement efforts, resulting in over 235 job placements and enhanced access to health care for more than 300 individuals. Flexibility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened the project’s sustainability by transitioning to online services and implementing an effective data management system.

High-quality early childhood education is an evidence-based intervention proven to reduce the occurrence of health disparities like heart disease, drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancies. The lack of quality early care and education options has resulted in an achievement gap seen in children as early as eighteen months old with lower neurological, cognitive and social-emotional development. With this Community Impact Grant, the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) and its partners (including childcare providers and parents) developed the Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESN) – Milwaukee initiative to strengthen the quality and continuity of local childcare providers in the most under-resourced areas of Milwaukee. The initiative worked to stabilize childcare by connecting family and group childcare programs to pool resources and capitalize on economies of scale and expertise. By sharing resources, knowledge and staffing, childcare programs can build capacity in their caregiving and improve outcomes for young children and their families. WEESSN-Milwaukee promoted and sustained more accessible, high-quality early care and education opportunities, ultimately benefiting children, working parents, childcare providers and their communities.

This project, Healthy Workers, Healthy Wisconsin, led by Community Advocates, Inc., aimed to improve the health and economic well-being of low-income Wisconsin residents by increasing employment and connecting people to effective mental and physical health care. Poor health and exposure to trauma, particularly among low-income populations, has been shown to interfere with job-related outcomes, including higher rates of unemployment, poverty and use of social services. The Milwaukee Transitional Jobs Collaborative was formed in 2009 which emphasizes the importance of transitional jobs (TJs) as a pathway for low-income job seekers with barriers to secure formal economy jobs, leading to sustained unsubsidized work. The project significantly expanded TJ programs over six years, increasing funding from $6 million to $9.5 million annually by 2022 and notably improving Black male employment rates in Milwaukee. Advocacy efforts led to the expansion of TJ programs across Wisconsin, providing over 10,000 low-income job seekers with sustained employment opportunities. Furthermore, the project’s implementation of trauma-informed practices enhanced support systems, empowering job seekers to overcome barriers and achieve meaningful employment outcomes.

This project is designed to make a substantial and long-lasting impact on the social emotional health of African American/Black students enrolled in the McFarland School District both now and into the future. While McFarland consistently ranks high among districts academically, their African American/Black students are not meeting critical health indicators as compared to their White counterparts. To address these disparities, this initiative will implement and expand the Natural Circles of Support program, in close partnership with student, school leaders, teachers, and families to change the conditions that perpetuate racial disparities and create a learning environment that ensures equity. The project, with plans to expand beyond McFarland, will work to increase engagement and belonging, expand equity and improve teacher support and relationships with Black students to create conditions that support all students’ ability to reach their full potential.