Congratulation to Muslim Community and Health Centers for receiving this award. The award recognizing the commitment to evidence-based activities in three pillars and achieving blood pressure control among 70% or more of the adult patient population.
Family Health Center has announced a significant boost in funding in the form of a state grant, which will be used to build a clinic in Wisconsin Rapids, designed to improve access to healthcare services for the community.
Family Health Center Chief Executive Officer Greg Nycz said there is a lack of proper healthcare in the Wisconsin Rapids community.
“We know that there are a whole lot of people in the greater Wisconsin Rapids area who really need access to dental care and addiction treatment. And we know that because many of them are traveling to our Neillsville Dental Clinic and our Marshfield Dental Clinic to get dental care. One year, we figured out that there were 1,600 people [from Wisconsin Rapids treated at other centers]. One thousand went to Marshfield and 600 went to Neillsville. We figured that was like 150,000 miles of travel.”
Nycz emphasized the role of legislators in addressing local issues like gaps in healthcare coverage.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin visited the Bridge Community Health Clinic in Wausau on Friday as part of her statewide tour focused on health care. Her primary goal is to push the Senate to vote on extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits set to expire on December 31. “For 275,000 Wisconsinites, their health care costs will double, triple or even worse,” Baldwin said.
Thanks to a federal grant, mental health and substance abuse disorder services will expand at eight community health centers across the state, including two in Northeast Wisconsin.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced nearly $4.7 million will go to help community centers integrate mental health and substance use disorder treatment into primary care.
This includes $600,000 in funding for N.E.W. Community Clinic in Green Bay and $600,000 for Partnership Community Health Care in Appleton.
Access Community Health Centers in Madison, Community Health Systems Inc. in Beloit, Lakeshore Community Health Care in Sheboygan, Bridge Community Clinic in Wausau, Progressive Community Health Centers in Milwaukee, and Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers in Cashton also received funds.
Superior Police Chief Paul Winterscheidt says this trend is a huge change for Superior residents. The [police] department has also ramped up outreach in recent years, partnering with Lake Superior Community Health Center to connect people with drug treatment services.
Jessica Halvorson, a nurse with Lake Superior Community Health Center, says she believes access to treatment has contributed to the downward trend in crime.“ It’s giving them that extra support if they don’t have the money to go to treatment,” said Halvorson. “It gives them that support and makes it possible.”
Through a joint program between the center and the Superior Police Department, those with minor drug offenses can opt into outpatient treatment for six months.