MMC-BD NEWS

Beaver Dam, Horicon and Juneau are among 31 Wisconsin communities recognized with the first Wisconsin Healthy Communities Designation for their work to improve the health of people in their communities. The three cities received the silver designation.

“We can all be very proud of this recognition,” says Beaver Dam Community Hospitals, Inc. CEO Kim Miller, FACHE. “BDCH’s leadership team began work to improve the health and well-being of Dodge County in 2014. Our communities worked collaboratively and worked together. The most important part of this designation is that people in our communities are healthier today because of this work.”

The Wisconsin Healthy Communities Designation is a new initiative through the UW Population Health Institute (UWPHI). The program, funded by the Wisconsin Partnership Program, is designed to celebrate and encourage achievements in health improvement in Wisconsin, and to serve as a guide for communities to expand and enhance their health improvement efforts.

The designation program recognizes communities that focus efforts across the multiple factors that influence health – including health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment – with a focus on equity, multi-sector partnerships and sustainable solutions.

“We have focused on the health of our county residents for years, says Linda Klinger, Beaver Dam Community Hospitals, Inc. Director of Rehabilitation Services. “Healthy Communities encourages local efforts to further improve overall community health and well-being. We developed committees, came up with ideas that work for us, and we activated them.”

Examples of accomplishments in Dodge County include Place of Last Drink software that was implemented throughout Dodge County, Complete Streets policies, Safe Routes to School policies, community based social support for physical activity (Walking Moais), walking school buses, community centers (The Watermark), Healthy Food Resolutions. In addition, fair and equal opportunities for healthcare were highlighted in both the BDCH Community Health Needs Assessment as well as the Blue Zones Project Dodge County Blueprint,  community partnerships were highlighted in the diversity of the steering committee and sub-committees and through letters of support from Mayor Becky Glewen, Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce President Phil Fritsche, Kim Miller, President and CEO of BDCH, Horicon Rotary President Anthony Pochowski, Juneau Clerk Valerie Knetzger, and Juneau Fire Chief Curt Ninnmann.

In 2018, 31 Wisconsin communities are receiving a Wisconsin Healthy Communities Designation. To receive the silver designation, communities must show they have developed programs and made progress addressing health issues, they are working toward long term and sustainable solutions, a plan and funding are in place, partners are working together and the communities are tracking outcomes.

The Healthy Community Designation lasts for three years, at which point a community may reapply. The communities will be recognized at the 2018 Healthiest State Summit, September 20-21 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay. This two-day summit is a statewide gathering of leaders to work on shared priorities around health equity and to build skills.