Upland Hills Health Receives Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Health

Upland Hills Health was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Wisconsin Division of Public Health’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Program to fund a CHANGE study.  CHANGE is an acronym that stands for Community Health Assessment aNd  Group Evaluation.    CHANGE is a data-collection, coalition building and planning resource tool for groups seeking to make their community a healthier place to live, work, learn and play. The CHANGE tool was developed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Healthy Communities Program to help gather and organize information that supports healthy eating, active living, tobacco-free living and chronic disease management. It was designed to help communities develop an action plan after collecting and prioritizing information from multiple sources.  The timing of this grant funded study proved to be beneficial to another health assessment already underway. Upland Hills Health together with several Iowa County health-related organizations were in the midst of a federally mandated Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) which must be conducted every three years.  The purpose of the federally mandated CHNA is to identify strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities which impact the lives of our community members, and to establish clear and definitive goals to bolster the overall health of Iowa County residents. 
The  CHANGE tool funded by the grant helped the CHNA group form population-based strategies that will promote a healthier environment. The strategies target increased physical activity, improved nutrition, reduced tobacco use, chronic disease management, reduced obesity and improved access to care, all critical components of Upland Hills Health’s organizational strategic plan to improve the health and well-being of our community.

Wisconsin is one of 25 states receiving federal funding for obesity prevention from CCD’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. The Wisconsin CHANGE for Healthy Communities Project funded 12 communities with Iowa County being selected as one.
The CHANGE Grant and the CHNA was made possible through the support and involvement of individuals representing the following organizations: Aging & Disability Resource Center of Southwest Wisconsin, Iowa County Health Department, University of Wisconsin Iowa County Extension Office, Iowa County Sheriffs Department, City of Dodgeville EMS, United Fund of Iowa County, Iowa County Service Organizations, Business and Industry, Mineral Point Public School System, Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program, Community Connections Free Clinic, Clergy Leadership in Iowa County (Grace Lutheran Church and Barneveld Lutheran Church), and two Iowa County Public School Systems.