What's New

The November Issue of RWHC Eye On Health is now available and Includes:

“Aging in the Heart of Rural Wisconsin”
Finding a Life’s Work in Rural Health Care
Making the Case for Immunization
2019 Community Engagement Awards
Leadership Insights: “Buh-bye”
Monato Rural Health Essay Prize
Health Literacy and Health Equity
HEAL – Health Embodied Agile Leadership
NRHA Rural Health Leadership Development Needs Your Help
NRHA Rural Health Policy Institute, February 11-13, 2020
Upcoming RWHC Leadership Programs
Eye On Health Cartoons

"The State of Rural Wisconsin Health" by Tim Size, RWHC Executive Director, Wisconsin Rural Health Conference, Wisconsin Dells, WI, June 13, 2019

Introducing HEAL

RWHC is committed to partnering for opportunities to reduce burnout in healthcare providers and leaders. One great program that addresses this is the HEAL - Healthy Embodied Agile Leadership program. The goal of the HEAL program is to provide a pathway for healthcare practitioners/leaders to sustainably thrive and be a force for positive change in their patients, practices and systems. 

Click Here for the 2019 schedule and signup links.

RWHC is committed to partnering for opportunities to reduce burnout in healthcare providers and leaders. One great program that addresses this is the HEAL - Healthy Embodied Agile Leadership program. The goal of the HEAL program is to provide a pathway for healthcare practitioners/leaders to sustainably thrive and be a force for positive change in their patients, practices and systems. This opportunity for physicians, clinicians, C-Suite-any health care leader-focuses on resiliency in these times of chaotic change. In this CME approved program, participants will learn to:

• ·   Shift from coping to transforming, reframing problems into opportunities
• ·   Learn practices for building resilience
• ·   Build energy agility among 4 patterns in the nervous system
• ·   Learn how to use oneself as an instrument for positive change

HEAL has achieved exceptional results with participating physicians and healthcare leaders. Join for one of the 2019 events!

A Very Partial List of Rural Health Innovations in Wisconsin–" 'The Challenge is Not so Much New Models But Further Expanding a Culture of Innovation.' This brief compendium of 32 rural innovations was collected from Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC) Members and Staff for a Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel meeting, supported by the Helmsley Foundation, for a conversation about innovations occurring in rural health practice, delivery system design and payment models on December 6 and 7 in Washington, DC."  Tim Size, RWHC Executive Director 

“Rural Health in Wisconsin: Workforce Challenges and Bright Spots," a PPT by Tim Size, RWHC Executive Director for the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Ground Rounds, 11/14/18.

New Report: Life in Rural America

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) published a report this week with findings from a survey of rural adults “to understand the current views and experiences of rural Americans on economic and health issues.” (Click here for the 57 page report: New Report: Life in Rural America) Respondents were optimistic overall, citing positive job prospects and connection with their communities. Of the challenges in rural areas, more than 25 percent of those surveyed cited drug abuse as the biggest problem facing their local community. The second largest concern, at 21 percent, was economic, including poverty and the availability of jobs. The report challenges the idea that all rural Americans are the same and examines major differences between young and old, those with and without a college degree, and between White residents and minorities. Earlier this year, RWJF issued its annual County Health Rankings. That report included an explicit call to action for community leaders to examine local data and learn more about the social and economic factors in each community that impact health outcomes.

INAUGURAL WISCONSIN HEALTHY COMMUNITIES NAMED

Thirty-one Wisconsin communities have been recognized for their work to improve health in their communities.

The Wisconsin Healthy Communities Designation is a new initiative offered by the UW Population Health Institute (UWPHI), in collaboration with diverse statewide groups. Funded by the Wisconsin Partnership Program, it 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, multisector partnerships and sustainable solutions.

“Achieving equitable health outcomes takes years to accomplish, and this program is all about celebrating the hard work happening across Wisconsin,” said Sheri Johnson, PhD, director of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. “Our goal is to acknowledge and support ongoing efforts in local communities to improve health for everyone.”

The 31 communities received either a bronze, silver or gold designation. Four communities received a gold designation. The tiers are meant to provide a trajectory and serve as a guide for communities as they work toward comprehensive solutions for better health – the gold level representing the most difficult to achieve. However, receiving a designation, at any level, does not indicate that health or health equity has been achieved in a community; rather, the designation is meant to commend the efforts and the partnerships working to improve health.

VIEW A MAP OF THE 31 HEALTHY COMMUNITIES (PDF)

“This initiative was developed in response to a request from rural communities across the state and gives communities of all shapes and sizes – rural and urban – an opportunity to be recognized for the great work that they are doing to improve their own health,” said Tim Size, executive director of the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, a collaborative of 42 rural hospitals and local health systems, and a founding member of the UW Population Health Institute’s advisory board.

The Healthy Community Designation lasts for three years, at which point a community may reapply. Learn more about the program and the application process.