Milwaukee Health Report 2009 Now Available

As a state, Wisconsin is relatively healthy; it ranked 13th in the 2007 American Health Rankings (United Health Foundation). Milwaukee County, however, presents a starkly different picture, ranking as one of the state's least healthy counties (71st out of the state's 72 counties) and the city of Milwaukee fares even worse (Athens and colleagues, 2007). Given that Milwaukee is the state's most vital urban area and has the largest population, Milwaukee's poor health has a major impact on the state as a whole (Vila and colleagues, 2007). The city of Milwaukee is highly segregated, both racially and economically, which links to several key issues such as unemployment, low income, poor education and poor health.  Our organizations share a core interest in improving population health outcomes and addressing significant health disparities in the city of Milwaukee. This requires that we know where we are and where we want to go.  To accomplish this, the Center for Urban Population Health and the City of Milwaukee Health Department have developed the annual Milwaukee Health Report.

Our organizations share a core interest in improving population health outcomes and addressing significant health disparities in the city of Milwaukee. This requires that we know where we are and where we want to go.  To accomplish this, the Center for Urban Population Health and the City of Milwaukee Health Department have developed the annual Milwaukee Health Report.

The Milwaukee Health Report focuses on investigating the health disparities of the city by socioeconomic status and offers comparisons of health determinants and health outcomes between the city of Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin and the US. It is our hope that these comparisons may inform further discussion on policy change and resource allocation.

The inaugural edition, Milwaukee Health Report 2009, will advance the work that each of our organizations does with the community in a number of ways. This report will aid in the prioritization of research undertaken by the Center for Urban Population Health and the policy initiatives to be undertaken by the newly formed Wisconsin Center for Health Equity, a joint venture of the City of Milwaukee Health Department and the Wisconsin Public Health Association.  In addition, this report complements the Milwaukee Health Department-led citywide health assessment (MAPP), which was completed over the past 18 months and which will inform the department in developing its policy agenda this fall.

It is our hope that the Milwaukee Health Report 2009 will also prove useful to local community-based organizations as they develop interventions, write proposals and advocate for their communities; for local and regional funding agencies as they develop their strategic funding plans for 2010 and beyond; for local and regional policy makers as they look to prioritize in this tough economic time; for the State as it plans for the Healthiest Wisconsin 2020; and for the academic institutions working in Milwaukee as they both educate and partner with Milwaukee to create better health outcomes for its citizens.

We hope you will find this new report informative in your work in addressing the health disparities of Milwaukee and welcome your comments and recommendations on how we can improve this report to best meet your informational needs.