Center for Community Health Advancement

Northwoods Coalition is the largest and oldest network of coalitions dedicated to substance use prevention in Wisconsin. Over 40 coalitions in northern and western Wisconsin address public health issues related to the prevention of use or misuse of alcohol, tobacco and other substances. Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) is one of three state Certified Regional Prevention Centers under the DHS 75 code.

AmeriCorps Recovery Corps program is the first of its kind in Wisconsin that trains individuals to become recovery coaches. Individuals are trained using the nationally recognized Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) Coach Academy and serve at community-based organizations such as treatment centers, law enforcement agencies, healthcare organizations, public health departments, and other nonprofits. Since the program’s inception, over 115 individuals have been trained and supported over 800 individuals seeking recovery. 96% of participants report the program assisted them in maintaining sobriety.

b.e.s.t (Behavioral Emotional Social Traits), is a universal screening tool to help education professionals build the emotional health of students. MCHS partners with School Psychologist Eric P. Hartwig, Ph.D., who developed the tool to help educators identify students that may need additional positive behavioral support based 26 at risk behaviors. Since the program’s inception, b.e.s.t. has positively impacted 400,000 students and more than 12,000 educators in 85 school districts throughout Wisconsin.

Life Tools, a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program provides youth with strategies to support self-awareness, self-management and develop positive relationships and coping skills. The 8-week program developed in partnership with MCHS Child and Adolescent Psychologist is facilitated by a licensed therapist or school counselor and embedded within school and afterschool programs. School counselors, parents and students receive tools and resources to support the social emotional wellness of youth. Each year approximately 30 schools and hundreds of youth participate in the program.

Wisconsin Out of School Time Alliance​ (WOSTA) is part of a national afterschool network to broaden opportunities for youth to participate in high quality afterschool programming. CCHA leads the Wisconsin statewide network comprised of a diverse group of state and local partners dedicated to assuring all Wisconsin school-aged youth have the opportunity to attend a high quality out of school time program. WOSTA is focused on advocacy, creating partnerships, systems and training youth development professionals to ensure youth can access the opportunities they need to thrive. WOSTA has trained over 3,000 professionals through conferences, virtual learning series, and individualized technical assistance.

Health Equity MCHS is committed to ensuring our employees, patients, and communities have an opportunity to be as healthy as possible. We embrace diversity and welcome differences in who we are and how we think. We believe that any individual or group should feel welcomed, respected and valued and have the opportunity to attain their highest level of health.

Community Connections Team (CCT) collaborates with universities and technical colleges and trains student navigators to screen patients for social needs such as food, housing, and utilities. Navigators are embedded in the healthcare system and connect patients to community resources for assistance. The program helps prepare our future workforce to understand the impact of social factors while meeting the needs of our patients. Since the program's inception in 2018, CCT has screened over 63,000 patients and made over 18,000 referrals to community organizations. MCHS utilizes FindHelp, a directory of social resources available to anyone to search and connect to support.

CCHA collaborates with Forks Farms, LLC, uses flex farm technology and strategic partnerships to assure fresh food can be delivered to more people in more places through a fresh and innovative approach to farming. Over 40 flex farms have been installed in schools, food pantries and other community agencies. The units make it possible to grow nutritious and sustainable produce year-round, while also providing learning opportunities for youth and the community. Over 100,000 servings have been produced and distributed to schools and rural communities.

CCHA was awarded $500K from the Wisconsin Partnership Program through the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to support Feeding the Whole Child, Whole Family, and Whole Community through Civic Engagement program. The program addresses food security through individual, community, and system level strategies related to food availability, access and education. Seven afterschool programs located in six counties are implementing initiatives tailored to address the critical needs of children, families, and communities.

Public Health AmeriCorps supports two Public Health AmeriCorps programs, Community Corps and Recovery Corps. Through these programs, Wisconsin non-profit organizations are provided additional support via AmeriCorps members to tackle critical health challenges within the community. Additionally, individuals are able to dedicate a year of their life to serving others and exploring the field of public health. Each program offers a unique community health focus and has made a tremendous impact in a number of communities across the state.

Community Corps In 2024, CCHA received a $2.16M grant award for the 2024-2025 program year and is the largest AmeriCorps program in Wisconsin. MCHS increases local community health capacity by placing up to 80 AmeriCorps members at community-based organizations throughout the state to address local community health priorities. As part of the program, CCHA partners with the Milwaukee Area Health Education Center to train members in the core competencies of Community Health Workers. In the 2023-24 service year, 90 full and half-time members were placed in 53 community organizations with 6 of these members becoming certified Community Health Workers. Since the program began in 2021, Community Corps members have provided over 185,000 hours of additional capacity to community-based organizations.

Community Health Needs Assessments are conducted in collaboration with community partners and seeks to address the health needs of all community members. We are pleased to share the community health needs assessment and implementation strategies for the communities in which we serve.

Investing in Our Communities-We believe investing in communities provides the resources needed to help our communities address critical community health needs and be more resilient. Since 2019, CCHA secured over $18.6 million in grants and contracts and provided local and regional resources to communities. Almost $.90 of every grant dollar secured by CCHA goes back into the community.

View our Community Impact and Social Accountabiility report.

CCHA partners with hundreds of community agencies including health departments, schools, afterschool programs, community coalitions, non-profit organizations, state and local organizations, food pantries, and many more. CCHA is deeply grateful to all our partners that contribute time and resources to improve health.

Our work would not be possible without support from our partners. Thank you for the following funding partners:

• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
• Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
• AmeriCorps State and National
• Shine Early Learning, Inc.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
• Wisconsin Department of Health Services
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Wisconsin Partnership Program