Community Health & Prevention

The Community Health & Prevention Division works to promote health and prevent chronic health issues by partnering with community members and organizations to make improvements to policies, systems and the environment; which can have a lasting impact on the community as a whole.

Major Accomplishments 2019

Social Connectedness

Pop Up Crosswalk

The re:TH!NK Social Connectedness team worked with the Sacred Heart Neighborhood Association on a pop-up crosswalk project. This work strengthened neighborhood relationships and paved the way for a real crosswalk to be painted on Knapp St.

Grant Work

CHP staff was awarded a grant through the Department of Health Services to support local focus groups and data analysis to identify what our community can do together to improve social connectedness and how we can measure change to know what kind of impact we are making.

Learning Sessions

CHP staff, the Social Connectedness team of the re:TH!NK, and the POINT poverty reduction initiative hosted an impressive event led by Paul Born with the Tamarack institute to share and learn about the impact of social connectedness in our community. This event launched a local and regional approach to foster community building interest and activities that lead to stronger relationships, support, and belongingness in Winnebago County.

Compliance rate is at the highest point in the last 10 years!

Tobacco Compliance

  • Winnebago County had a 95% compliance rate during Wisconsin WINS tobacco compliance checks during 2019.

  • City of Neenah added electronic delivery devices to their indoor smoking ban ordinance.


WCDAC

CHP staff worked alongside the Winnebago County Drug and Alcohol Coalition to draft and submit a grant application for the federal Drug Free Communities program. Our effort was successful and led to WCDAC receiving a five year $625,000 grant to prevent and reduce substance use in the Oshkosh area.

Transit

Collaborated with community organizers, public health, and planners for Fox Valley Thrives’ Transportation Team to continue data collection and advocacy for transit access for youth in Oshkosh.

Zero Suicide

Zero Suicide trainings were organized for emergency department and health care system staff from three major health systems in the tri-county area. Elaine Frank, founder of CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) provided trainings to emergency department staff and community members.

We continue to provide leadership and coordination for the Zero Suicide Coalition and its community initiatives.

Opioid Summit

The Winnebago County Health Department worked with the Fox Valley Healthcare Readiness Coalition (FV-HERC) to offer an opioid summit for community partners in August 2019. The purpose of the event was to learn more about the impact of the opioid crisis and other substance use on our community, learn about available resources to help families/individuals, and strategies for effective education, prevention and treatment on the opioid epidemic. This event brought together over 150 people from law enforcement, EMS, paramedics, volunteer first responders, emergency departments, public health, fire departments, treatment and recovery services, faith-based and community-service organizations. Funding for the event was provided through a DHS preparedness grant in collaboration with public health agencies and organizations in Calumet, Green Lake, Outagamie, Waushara, and Winnebago counties.