As chief medical officer for population health at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Mark Lodes has led the implementation of a health equity strategy that has driven transformational efforts for the Wauwatosa-based health network and its impact on communities it serves.
Lodes, who is also an assistant clinical professor and faculty with the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education at MCW, has worked to develop a health equity outreach strategy that targets improved access to care for Black, indigenous and people of color, and directly addresses social determinants of health with the most vulnerable patients.
Some of the initiatives of the health equity outreach strategy include a community outreach nursing team that connects with 5,000 people annually; expanded access to health care through gifts totaling $8.4 million to the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers; a partnership with Gee’s MKE Wellness Clinic, connecting African American men to community resources and primary care, behavioral health and social services; and a new Mental Health Emergency Center offering 24/7 crisis mental health assessment and care.