(Northern, WI) Ministry Health Care recently announced the recipients of the Ministry Care Fund Awards for 2008. The Ministry Health Care Fund was created in 1998 as a means to provide financial support for innovative projects and programs for the poor and underserved. The Fund is one of many programs that Ministry employs to live out its Mission and Values.
By collaborating with other agencies and funding a portion of their operations, Ministry Health Care enhances the health and well being of people in many communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
For 2008 Ministry Health Care awarded grants totaling over $183,500. According to Cherrie Marti, Director of Mission Integration for Ministry, “Our purpose is to provide all organizations in our system, as well as community programs endorsed by our organizations, the opportunity to establish projects for the poor and vulnerable that they may not otherwise be funded. The projects must be designed to meet identified community need.”
The focus of the funded projects is on the poor--the economically disadvantaged, and the materially deprived. “We strive to provide hands-on services and charity work, but also attempt to insure our proposals address issues surfaced in recent needs assessments, state health disparity data, or data illustrating an emerging need,” said Nick Desien, President and CEO of Ministry.
Details regarding programs that were funded in northern Wisconsin this year include the following:
Northwoods 2-1-1 (2nd year)
Family Resource Connection, Rhinelander, Wisconsin
The focus of the 2-1-1 system is to provide the public with a single point of contact for social services and public health questions. Sixty percent of the questions to this information and Referral program were seeking financial resources – Food, fuel assistance and affordable health care in 2007.
The Northwoods Dental Project (2nd year)
Vilas and Oneida County Public Health Departments, Wisconsin
Vilas and Oneida counties have been federally designated as a Dental Health Provider Shortage Area. Recent oral health surveys identified that children living in these counties have higher rate of dental decay and caries history, lower sealant rate compared to other Wisconsin children. This grant will continue oral health preventative programs delivered at outreach sites such as food pantries.
Intercultural Leadership Initiative (2nd year)
Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin
Racial intolerance and cultural misunderstanding have strained community relations between American Indians and their neighbors in northern Wisconsin. The effects have resulted in American Indians failing academically and socially disproportionately higher than the general population. The Intercultural Leadership Initiative program hopes to promote cultural tolerance through inter-cultural experiences within the local schools. These experiential learning techniques, games, talking circles, creative drama, role-playing and service learning projects hope to encourage a sense of community and healthy risk-taking to solve problems using High school students to mentor to younger students.
Treating Perinatal Depression through In-Home Therapy (2nd year)
Marathon County Health Department, Wausau, Wisconsin
Women who live in poverty bear a disproportionate burden of prenatal and postpartum depression. Up to 285 of women living in poverty are affected (Perinatal Foundation). Depression is known to affect how a mother relates to her newborn, linking maternal depressed mood to a child’s risk for cognitive and language delays and behavioral problems. Home visiting programs with an in-home therapy component is seen as a promising approach to address perinatal depression. For low income women, current access barriers such as transportation, child care, stigma associated with seeking services could be minimized. This program would focus on women whose families are at or below 185% of the poverty level.
Community Care Center
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Merrill, Wisconsin
St. Vincent de Paul received a gift of a building that is being developed into a community social services center. The multi-use building will allow low-income individuals to come to one location for many services. This is a one-time renovation grant as it creates an infrastructure for the future.
Ministry Health Care is a values-driven health care delivery network of aligned hospitals, clinics and other providers, based in Wisconsin and Minnesota. With over 12,000 employees including physicians and health professionals, Ministry also offers home health, hospice, long-term care facilities, dialysis services, a health plan and many other services.
The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, who have sponsored health care in the region for over 115 years, founded Ministry Health Care in 1984. Ministry’s mission as a Catholic health care system is to further the healing ministry of Jesus by continually improving the health and well-being of all people, especially the poor, in the communities we serve.