The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #58193

Paul W. Nannis, MSW, Aurora Health Care, 300 W. Montana, Milwaukee, WI 53215, 414-647-6445, paul.nannis@aurora.org

Aurora Health Care is a community-owned, not-for-profit Wisconsin health care system. Aurora’s goal is to provide a continuum of health care for the people and communities throughout primarily urban, eastern Wisconsin. To reach this goal, we have brought together clinics, hospitals, home health care, family services, pharmacies and other services in one coordinated system. While we are committed to improving the quality of health for our patients, we are also progressively expanding our focus to include population health. Our partnerships with schools, businesses, academic institutions, government agencies and other members of the broader public health system in Wisconsin bring better health care to our communities — improving access, reducing costs and saving lives. We recognize that sound decisions about public health policies, strategies, and interventions can only be made if useful, appropriate and timely information is available to the public health system partners. To address this need, Aurora made the commitment to partner with 40 local public health departments to conduct an annual behavioral risk factor survey. A total of 16,000 adults were surveyed to provide regional and community-level population data needed for policy development, assurance, service delivery, and resource management. The data provides a baseline and annual measurement of key health indicators to assist local planning for implementation of the 11 health priorities in the Wisconsin state health plan. A preview of key findings and initial intervention strategies will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session the participant will be able to:
• Understand the policy implications of an urban health system partnering with local health departments.
• Articulate the value of community health assessments.
• Evaluate the importance to the community of such joint ventures.

Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Urban Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.