Wisconsin Ideas: UW-Madison outreach
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Hope Villard, a Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine student, examines Henry Bessert at Aurora BayCare in Green Bay. Credit: UW SMPH.
Editor's note: In this month's Wisconsin Ideas, we highlight the ways that UW-Madison improves health in the state of Wisconsin. And here’s how you can help.
Training pharmacists, doctors to meet demand in rural areas
Some of Wisconsin's rural areas face a shortage of doctors or pharmacists, but two UW-Madison programs are working to address the need. The School of Pharmacy launched an advanced pharmacy clinical training program that places students in smaller clinics in Platteville, Sauk, Monroe and Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. And the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine prepares medical students for the unique challenges they'll face in rural areas.
Researchers “drag” for ticks in the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The ticks are brought back to the lab for identification and pathogen analysis. Credit: Xia Lee
Center fights spread of tick- and mosquito-borne disease
As mosquitoes and ticks travel into new territory, exposure to the diseases they carry increases. The good news is, UW–Madison is leading a strong new effort to prevent these diseases from spreading. The Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease was established at UW–Madison in 2017 with a $10 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research illnesses transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes (the vectors, in this case) and train new professionals who can stop the diseases from spreading.
Professor Eva Vivian and student Beatriz Jimenez Cadilla at a training for Peers Empowering Peers coaches at Cavalry Baptist Church in Milwaukee. Credit: UW School of Pharmacy.
Program empowers communities to overpower diabetes
A UW–Madison program gives African American community members in Milwaukee strategies to maintain healthy lifestyles that help prevent and/or manage Type 2 diabetes. Peers Empowering Peers participants attend a weekly meeting, complete with a wellness walk and a healthy lunch, and peer coaches follow up with participants to gauge how the program is changing lifestyles and to provide more support.
UW Health has set up an addiction hotline to help providers throughout Wisconsin. Credit: Jeff Miller.
New addiction hotline set up
In what is believed to be a national first, UW-Madison, in conjunction with UW Health, has established a new resource for Wisconsin primary-care physicians and other providers to help them successfully manage patients with addictions. The University of Wisconsin Addiction Consultation Provider Hotline offers daily on-call help to providers who seek support and direction to deal with their patients with substance-abuse problems.
Resident Allison Leuin checks Harlow’s joints while veterinarian Sarah Ranallo keeps him from wandering. Credit: Nik Hawkins.
Veterinary Medicine treats police dogs at discount
UW-Madison Veterinary Care wanted to recognize the crucial role police dogs play in law enforcement. So UWVC sent letters to nearly 130 law enforcement agencies throughout the state offering them discounted rates. Police dogs take part in a wide variety of law enforcement and also help police engage with their communities.
CONNECT WITH UW: What's your health community doing?
Any Wisconsin resident can now consult an online tool to learn exactly what his or her local community is doing to improve health. The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has updated and improved its online tool to help communities, organizations, and individuals easily assess and share health-related work in their local communities.
