11.17.2008 [ close ]
IWHI and Wisconsin Health Departments Explore Quality & Accreditation
For Release:November 17, 2008
Contact: ChrisSchellpfeffer
608-251-7070
cschell@lsb.com
Institute ForWisconsin’s Health Launched to Improve Public Health
Robert WoodJohnson Foundation Grant Will Support Local Health Department QualityImprovement Efforts
MADISON, Wis. November17, 2008 – A new institute aims to improve the health of Wisconsinites byincreasing the state’s focus on prevention. The Institute for Wisconsin’sHealth, Inc. (IWHI, www.instituteforwihealth.org ) seeks to bringtogether the forces of Wisconsin’s public health, business and health carecommunities with a goal of making Wisconsin the healthiest state in thenation.
The not-for-profit organization, funded by public andprivate grants, contracts and gifts, will work to inspire Wisconsin’s businessand policy leaders to create and adopt effective prevention strategies.
The institute's first major project, supported by the RobertWood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), focuses on preparing Wisconsin's healthdepartments for a national voluntary accreditation program to begin in 2011,and encouraging adoption of quality improvement activities.
The effort is a part of an RWJF-funded project known as the Multi-StateLearning Collaborative: Lead States in Quality Improvement, which is managed by the National Network of PublicHealth Institutes (NNPHI) and the Public Health Leadership Society (PHLS). Wisconsin is one of the 16 states thathave been identified to lead this national effort.
The Lead States will focus on activities such as increasingimmunization rates, decreasing obesity, reducing illness due to tobacco andalcohol use and improving public communication during disasters and healthemergencies.
IWHI, in partnership with the Wisconsin Division of PublicHealth and Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards(WALHDAB), will implement the program statewide over the next three years.
“The quality ofpublic health departments in Wisconsin is directly linked to improving thehealth of the people of our state. This project will take Wisconsin’s strong public health system to thenext level of credibility and accountability,” said Karen Timberlake,secretary, Wisconsin Division of Health Services.
"We are always looking forways to make our health department stronger. This project gives us anopportunity to work with others in the state and the nation who share aninterest in quality improvement," said Patti Wohlfeil, director of theWaushara County Health Department, one of 15 local health departments inWisconsin that have volunteered to be part of this pioneering effort. Wohlfeilalso serves as Co-President of WALHDAB.
"In Waushara County, our Board of Health wanted to getin on the front end of efforts to prepare for national accreditation. Likeother local health departments in Wisconsin, we want to see our public healthsystem strengthened statewide," said Waushara County Board of Healthchairman and WALHDAB past president Dennis Wedde.
The 15 Wisconsin health departments involved in the firstphase of this project include: Burnett, Dodge, Greenfield, Iowa, Jefferson,Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Oshkosh, Pepin, Polk, Taylor, Waushara, Winnebagoand Wood.
As Wisconsin and the other15 states work on their projects, NNPHI and PHLS will provide guidance andshare the lessons learned through this project with health officials across thecountry. The work of the projectwill play a critical role in helping the public health community prepare fornational accreditation –- an effort that will begin in 2011 and will help localand state health departments ensure they are providing quality public healthservices and programs to improve the health of their community.
“Wisconsin has demonstrateda commitment to improving the quality of their public health services andprograms. Their work will lead the way as other local and state public healthagencies across the nation prepare for accreditation and strive to createhealthier communities,” said James S. Marks, M.D., M.P.H., senior vicepresident and director of the health group at RWJF.
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The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health careissues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusivelyto improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation workswith a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions andachieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years,the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balancedapproach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those itserves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get thecare they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.
The National Network of Public Health Institutes promotes the development of institutes thatcollaborate with government, business, academia, and other non-profitorganizations to improve public health.
The Public Health Leadership Society (PHLS) is a membership organization comprised ofthe alumni from the leadership programs for senior public health professionals.Members collaborate with other national public health organizations to shapethe future of public health.
