Wisconsin Models and Innovations

Tomah Hearing Loss Prevention Outreach

Updated/reviewed November 2024

Need: Farmers are highly susceptible to permanent hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to loud machinery and livestock.
Intervention: Faculty and students from the audiology department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison supplied earplugs, free hearing testing, and hearing loss prevention education to attendees and participants at an annual tractor pull event.
Results: Between 2014 and 2019, the audiology team distributed more than 16,000 pairs of earplugs; attendees were receptive to the hearing loss prevention education provided by the team.

Added November 2024

Need: To reduce barriers to employment for people in substance use recovery in Marinette County, Wisconsin.
Intervention: An initiative in which community members in recovery train local employers in recovery friendly workplace guidelines and provide recovery coaching to employees.
Results: One business in Marinette County has been fully trained, and more than 50 people in recovery have been referred to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Worker Connection Program in the program's first year.

Updated/reviewed October 2024

Need: To help inform western Wisconsin residents about their health insurance options and local programs to support their healthcare needs.
Intervention: The Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers' Help Team offers free services for community members facing barriers to accessing healthcare, such as transportation, language, cost, and insurance, among other social factors.
Results: In 2023, more than 1,500 people received support and guidance from the Help Team regarding programs, resources, and health insurance enrollment. In total, 466 individuals were enrolled in health insurance.

Updated/reviewed August 2024

Need: To support rural veterans pursuing a career in nursing.
Intervention: The INVITE program improved the curriculum and reworked admission requirements to better support veteran students' experiences in the College of St. Scholastica undergraduate nursing program.
Results: The number of veterans pursuing nursing has more than doubled since program implementation, and all students have reported an increased interest in serving rural communities.

Updated/reviewed February 2024

Need: To help farmers with disabilities continue farming while protecting their well-being.
Intervention: The FARM program helps disabled or ill farmers continue to operate and work their Wisconsin farms.
Results: Since 2009, the FARM Program has helped over 3,500 farmers continue to farm, resume farming, or find an alternative agricultural occupation.

Updated/reviewed October 2022

Need: Primary care physicians in the rural areas of Wisconsin.
Intervention: A GME collaborative was created that provides leadership, technical assistance, and support for expanding rural graduate medical education in Wisconsin.
Results: The collaborative expanded rural graduate medical education opportunities which now include over 20 rural training programs. There are several residencies and fellowship opportunities in specialties ranging from family medicine to surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, and more.

Updated/reviewed October 2022

Need: Throughout the state of Wisconsin, childcare services are closing rapidly, with staffing and finance issues as the main causes.
Intervention: In Wisconsin's Monroe and Vernon Counties, a collaborative that focuses on addressing key childcare access issues has come up with a creative solution. The Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network allows childcare providers to pool staff, resources, and services while receiving support for business and educational operations.
Results: As of September 2022, 25 childcare programs in Monroe and Vernon Counties have joined WEESSN and more are considering. Joining has allowed childcare providers to focus their time, finances, and energy on the children they serve.

Updated/reviewed June 2022

Need: Increased number of emergency medical technicians in rural northern Wisconsin.
Intervention: Creation of a program, Rescue Divas, for middle school girls to spark interest in emergency medical services careers.
Results: Post-participation results demonstrate the camp increases interest in an emergency medical services career.

Updated/reviewed November 2020

Need: Preventive and chronic medical condition care for farm families/agribusiness owners/employees with time and monetary constraints.
Intervention: Through a "Kitchen Wellness" program, a trained healthcare professional provides in-home or on-site complimentary preventive health screening, educational materials, and community referral information.
Results: Completion of hundreds of health screenings, tailored health education sessions and referral information.

Updated/reviewed August 2020

Need: Rural Wisconsin communities experience threatened healthcare infrastructure due to workforce shortages.
Intervention: The Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, in partnership with the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, created a youth program to increase awareness of health-related professions known as Club Scrub.
Results: Middle-school students attend the program and gain a better understanding of career options in the healthcare industry.