BARRON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Barron County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) 2009-2013 The CHIP process is a locally based initiative that identifies local health concerns, recognizes community assets and resources, addresses local health priorities linked to state and national priorities and mobilizes community resources to improve the health of residents. Barron County Public Health is the coordinating agency for the preparation of the Community Health Improvement Plan for Barron County. A combination of utilizing existing coalitions, conducting focus groups, and community surveys were used throughout the CHIP process. 1. Identification of Barron County strengths/assets. 2. Identification of Barron County perceived needs. 3. Level of concern for health conditions and behaviors. The information gathered from these results was used to identify and prioritize issues of importance to residents of Barron County. Three strategic issues were developed. Participants in the Barron County Community Health Improvement Process: Barron County Department of Health and Human Services Cumberland Nutrition Coalition Barron County Safe & Stable Families Coalition Marshfield Medical System Mayo Medical System Cumberland Medical System CESA #11 Barron County Restorative Justice/Drug Court Barron County School Districts: Barron, Cameron, Chetek, Cumberland, Prairie Farm, Rice Lake and Turtle Lake Barron County Law Enforcement Agencies 150 Key Community Stakeholders including: minority representatives, organizations, churches, businesses, government, medical, dental, professional, parents and youth, volunteers, emergency systems, daycares, legal, housing and more. HUMAN SERVICES 330 E LASALLE AVE, RM 338 BARRON, WI 54812-1584 PHONE (715) 537-5691 FAX (715) 537-6363 PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES 410 E LASALLE AVE BARRON, WI 54812-1517 PHONE (715) 537-6580 FAX (715) 537-6274 COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM 330 E LASALLE AVE, RM 338 BARRON, WI 54812-1584 PHONE (715) 537-5691 FAX (715) 537-6363
Profile of Barron County Barron County is located in northwestern Wisconsin. Population is 46,000+. The county is comprised of 25 townships, 7 villages and 4 cities a total of 36 municipalities. Two major medical systems have a presence in Barron County Marshfield and Mayo Health Systems. Barron County has three hospitals and several satellite clinics throughout the county. The University of Wisconsin Barron and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College along with seven school districts provide a wide range of educational opportunities. Barron County is recreationally appealing with extensive snowmobile trails, crosscountry ski trails, bike trails, many lakes, parks and public forest land for hunters and wildlife observers Barron County is predominantly white, non-hispanic (US Census 2000). Persons of Hispanic or Latino backgrounds make up about 1.0% of the population. Because of the presence of the St. Croix tribe located in Barron County, 0.8% of the county population is American Indian. In 2002, Somali refugees began locating in Barron County. Only population estimates can be given for this population which is estimated to be between 300-400. Major employing fields are manufacturing, retail, health care and social assistance, education and public administration. Top occupations are heavy tractor/trailer drivers, cashiers, retail salespeople, and food preparation/servers. Leading Causes of Death (2005 Profile for Barron County DHS) 1) Heart Disease 2) Cancer 3) Stroke 4) Accidents
BARRON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Strategic Issue #1: Alcohol/Drug/Tobacco Abuse Barron County: Strengths/Assets Safe and Stable Families Restorative Justice/Court System Youth development and mentoring systems Police and probation working well together Perceived Needs Alcohol drug abuse all ages Child abuse/domestic violence Smoking/tobacco all ages Drinking and driving Identified Issues of alcohol/drugs/tobacco underage use multi-generational attitudes prevention programs substance use/drinking and driving/public smoking Community change will begin with the development of a clear, concise, unified message discouraging underage alcohol, tobacco and drug usage. Goal #1: Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities. Objective 1: Increase the capacity of the Barron County Safe & Stable Families Coalition to reduce underage drinking and substance use in the community. Collect data on each member s commitment to the coalition, their committee and leadership skills and interest. Recruit new members, especially in under represented sectors and in different cultural groups. HUMAN SERVICES 330 E LASALLE AVE, RM 338 BARRON, WI 54812-1584 PHONE (715) 537-5691 FAX (715) 537-6363 PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES 410 E LASALLE AVE BARRON, WI 54812-1517 PHONE (715) 537-6580 FAX (715) 537-6274 COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM 330 E LASALLE AVE, RM 338 BARRON, WI 54812-1584 PHONE (715) 537-5691 FAX (715) 537-6363
Objective 2: Mobilize community stakeholders and strengthen collaboration to achieve reduction in youth substance abuse. mobilize people and organizations in the community to change their thinking and begin to take significant actions to prevent youth alcohol and tobacco use. Barron County municipalities and local governmental agencies to develop and implement policies working toward the reduction of youth substance use. Health care professionals to develop shared messages on the negative effects of alcohol use such as the impact on brain development, increased rates of sexual activity, impairment of motor skills, and increased risk of addiction with earlier onset. Schools to implement evidence based substance use prevention programs within their curriculums. Parents to appreciate the importance of modeling positive behaviors such as disapproval of youth substance use and family polices against youth substance use. Law enforcement to gain community wide support which will make enforcement of alcohol and tobacco laws a priority. Civic and volunteer groups to implement community activities that support positive youth behaviors at local events. Media to support event coverage in such Objective 3: Undertake a strategic process to develop a long range plan to reduce youth substance use and communicate this plan to Barron County. Complete a long term strategic plan and communicate this plan to the community. Goal #2: Reduce substance abuse among youth and over time among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse. Objective 1: Mobilize community leaders in environmental strategies including policy approaches to reduce youth substance use. Expand alcohol and tobacco compliance checks by providing support and resources to law enforcement. Continue expansion of Parents Who Host Lose the Most: Don t be a party to underage drinking. It s against the law. Bring youth voices and examples of how youth are impacted to policy making boards: city councils, village boards and chambers of commerce and suggest policy changes to make alcohol and tobacco less attractive and less available to youth. Continue to expand the Coordinated Services Teams to provide a systems change to working with families in crisis.
Objective 2: Provide ongoing education and support for evidence based programs that prevent underage alcohol and tobacco use. Provide training and implementation assistance to school districts for the Project Northland (grades 6-8) and Class Action (high school) evidence based prevention curriculums in Barron County schools. Assist in expansion of the evidence based program Strengthening Families Program 10-14. Maintain Barron County Restorative Justice Programs (BCRJP): Restorative Teen Court, Prime for Life Under 21 and Victim Impact Panels. Support the initiation of training and implementation of the evidence based program Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Barron County Restorative Justice Program. Objective 3: Promote factors in the community that minimize the risk of youth substance abuse. Maintain the Boys & Girls Club after school and summer activities. Support Youth Job Club and Youth Summer Service Projects which promote positive youth goals. Provide opportunities for youth leadership development, specifically around substance use prevention. Youth to engage in the planning and implementation process to decrease youth access and attractiveness to alcohol and tobacco and to provide alternatives to substance use. Promotion of alcohol and tobacco use is not glamorized and which supports substance free youth activities. Through the above efforts the Barron County community will begin to shift community norms away from youth substance use acceptance. Through continued efforts and partnerships BCSSFC will use the strategic planning framework over the next five years to evaluate and modify the implementation plan to reflect community needs to achieve the overall goal of making underage substance use in Barron County the exception rather than the rule. State Health Priorities: 1. Alcohol and other Substance Use and Abuse (C) 2. High Risk Sexual Behavior (F) 3. Intentional and Unintentional Injuries and Violence (G) 4. Tobacco Use/Exposure (K)
Strategic Issue #2 Obesity/Nutrition Physical Activity Barron County: Strengths/Assets Youth sporting programs Fitness centers School/senior meals Healthier Cumberland Coalition Perceived Needs Impact of fuel on nutrition High food prices Community promotion Identified Issues Childhood obesity Economic hardship affecting nutrition Lack of understanding nutrition/exercise Lack of resources for activity Expand and strengthen efforts to address obesity and inactivity in Barron County adults and children by implementation of environmental and policy changes and health interventions. Goal #1: Strengthen partnerships to build capacity within communities to prevent obesity and chronic diseases. Objective 1: Complete evidence-based training and planning activities in support of policy and environmental changes life, work, school, worship, play. Community assessments to determine practices, prompts and policies that provide barriers to healthy eating. Provide community training. Utilize social marketing principles to design environmental and policy changes impacting individuals. Assist community organizations, worksites, churches to implement environmental and policy changes
Goal #2: Support individual efforts throughout Barron County to increase physical activity and consumption of healthy foods. Objective 1: Increase fruit and vegetable consumption among adults. Advocate for competitive pricing in vending machines. Promotion of community farmer s markets. Cooking demonstrations with taste-testing opportunities to introduce option choices and method of preparation. Increased diversity of menu choices in restaurants. Objective 2: Decrease consumption of high calorie/low nutrient foods. Increase food preparation and storage options of individual food options at worksites. Increase healthy foods offered in school meal programs. Utilization of peer to peer marketing. Healthy food options at point of decision prompts in schools and grocery stores. Provide education on high energy dense foods. Objective 3: Focus on creating environments that support healthy lifestyles. Provide activity options and choices to decrease television and computer time. Provide education on the benefits of increase family activity time together. State Health Priorities: 1. Adequate and Proper Nutrition (B) 2. Overweight, Obesity, Lack of Physical Activity (I).
Strategic Issue #3 Access to Healthcare Barron County: Strengths/Weaknesses High quality healthcare facilities Close proximity to specialty care Senior housing/assisted living facilities School/church/business coordination Office on Aging/ADRC DHHS PH, WIC, Birth-3 Timely processing of medical assistance Perceived Needs Adequate services for low income Adult daycare Transportation Affordable childcare Cost of healthcare Quality housing Identified Issues General access to needed assistance Transportation Healthcare for adults without children Dental health children/adults Services for refugees Establish and strengthen access to healthcare services for the needy and underinsured. Goal #1: Collaborate with community partners to determine the feasibility of developing a free clinic. Objective 1: Conduct a survey of needs. Determine the uninsured population numbers in Barron County. Work with area hospitals/clinics to determine amount of charity care provided yearly. Work with volunteer and community organizations to determine the impact of a free community health center. Objective 2: Prepare an executive summary to be used for justification of needs for fundraising and financial sustainment. Develop a mission statement. Work with community members to determine a location for the clinic. Determine scope of services to be provided at clinic. Identify eligibility requirements to be used for service to clients. Summarize the benefits of the clinic to develop community outreach and education.
Objective 3: Establish an organizing committee to manage clinic responsible for governance, legal, operational, policy making, decision making and accountability throughout the clinic development process. Develop description of organizing committee responsibilities. Recruit committee members from a variety of constituencies. Goal #2: Reduce barriers to access for those in need of services. All persons have access to and utilize culturally and linguistically appropriate, affordable, timely and quality health care. Objective 1: Continue to advocate for and provide preventative and restorative dental services to those in need. Continue working with the Rural Health Dental Clinic to provide prevention services to children and adults in need of dental care. Work at the local, regional and state level to advocate for dental providers that accept Medicaid. Work with community organization and volunteers to provide continuing education regarding available dental resources in Barron County and the surrounding area. Objective 2: Communities will work to continue and expand the provision of culturally competent/sensitive care. Work with AHEC to train and increase the number of culturally trained medically specific interpreters. Provide public education to reduce the stigma of Barron County diverse populations by working with UMOS and the International Center. Community education to increase awareness and improve processes to gain access to health benefits and healthcare services. State Health Priorities: 1. Access to Primary and Preventive Health Services (A) 2. Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards (D) 3. Existing, Emerging and Re-Emerging Communicable Disease (E) 4. Social and Economic Factors that Influence Health (J) 5. Mental Health and Mental Disorders (H).