Medical College of Wisconsin endowment awards $1.6 million to health initiatives

The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin has awarded $1.6 million to four projects aimed at improving health outcomes in the state.

The grants are part of the endowment’s 2019 Policy and Systems Changes for Improved Health 2019 funding cycle, which focuses on community-led partnerships in establishing new systems, or positively impacting existing systems, to address the root causes of poor health outcomes.

 “At the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, we are working every day to make positive health outcomes possible for Wisconsin residents,” said Jesse Ehrenfeld, director of the endowment. “We look forward to supporting these partners in addressing critical health needs in their communities as part of our mission to make Wisconsin the healthiest state in the nation.”

The projects, which will begin work in January, include:

• A $399,618 award to Milwaukee-based Convergence Resource Center, which will support a partnership of health care organizations and community service agencies in improving the quality of supportive resources available to adult victims of sex trafficking.
• A $400,000 award to the the Milwaukee Area Health Education Center, which will partner with key agencies to create an integrated public health nurse training program that will provide nursing students with exposure to and experience in public health to advance the future public health workforce.
• A $316,760 award to the Winnebago County Health Department and the NEW Mental Health Connection that will work to improve the ability of health care systems, as well as non-clinical systems, to support individuals in crisis and prevent suicide in a region where suicide rates have increased 66% over the last decade.
• A $475,347 award to a coalition of partners led by North Country Independent Living that will make changes to Douglas County’s behavioral health system, creating aim improved framework for crisis response in a region where the lack of coordinated resources has resulted in a critical need for services.