NH75OT000039

This grant will provide funding to address COVID-19 and advance health equity (e.g., through strategies, interventions, and services that consider systemic barriers).

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing barriers and inequities and created new obstacles for disproportionately affected populations in Wisconsin. The pandemic has impacted populations disparately in incidence and mortality rates for marginalized communities by race/ethnicity (higher rates among American Indian and African-American/Black adults), and rurality resulting in deep, longstanding social and economic inequities.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Division of Public Health (DPH) will focus activities in each of the four strategies, provided by CDC, to help address existing barriers and obstacles.

Purpose Strategy 1: Wisconsin's DPH efforts will expand and develop new mitigation and prevention resources and services with the creation of harm reduction/vaccination "strike" teams; the expansion of Wisconsin's Office of Rural Health Initiative using visiting nurse services to farms; and strengthening Wisconsin's rural EMS using a multi-faceted approach.

Strategy 2: For efforts to increase and improve data collection and reporting, for populations experiencing a disproportionate burden, DPH's activities will improve its capacity for capturing qualitative data based on coordinated outreach into communities and ensure the information is widely and broadly utilized. This information will allow DPH to better understand root cause, help elevate the voices of marginalized communities, and strengthen DPH's relationships with community partners.

Strategy 3: The DPH will build and leverage infrastructure support by hiring health equity strategists/analysts to ensure that staff and programs review current procedures and practices that prevent individuals from participating fully and benefiting from public health services offered. The strategists/analysts will also help to improve data dissemination focused on health disparities for populations from racial and ethnic minorities, tribes, and rural communities.

Strategy 4: Mobilizing partners to advance health equity and address social determinants of health will be realized through the availability of local-level grant funds to local public health, self-identified communities, and other partners like Aging and Disability Resource Centers and community health workers; the creation and dissemination of infection prevention kits to migrant communities; and availability of grant funds to tribes to improve rural EMS services and support.

Outcomes: Implementing these grant activities will help to reduce the existing barriers and obstacles, presenting during the pandemic, for Wisconsin's disproportionately affected populations. In addition, the standardization of health equity policies and a more unified approach to address health equity within DPH will be demonstrated. Lastly, strengthened partnerships and improved relationships with tribes, local public health, EMS, and others will be evident.

Wisconsin Department Of Health Services

NOT APPLICABLE

93.354 - Public Health Emergency Response: Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response

CDC Office of Financial Resources (OFR) [HHS - CDC]

Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS) [HHS - CDC]

Wisconsin United States

State-Wide

National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities (CDC-RFA-OT21-2103)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 05/31/23 to 05/31/26.