Great Rivers United Way Inc

Great rivers hub - is a system to bridge the gap between health care delivery and the social service sector for cost savings, improved population health outcomes and increased client experience and engagement. The hub model is focused on risk reduction through outcome-based pathways. There are 20 identified pathways that revolve around healthcare and social determinants of health. Each pathway has a defined outcome based on clinical best practice and evidence based models. The hub utilizes community health workers through contracts with community agencies to complete pathways for identified at-risk populations. Great rivers hub supports community health workers in la crosse, jackson, monroe, and crawford counties. Work includes staff involvement in community youth supports, alliance 2 heal, total navigation team, and community united for families. The great rivers hub provides community of practice support for local community health workers and community health worker training, workforce support and promotion for community health workers statewide. Great rivers hub staff are involved with the wisconsin public health association, wisconsin association for chws and the national association of chws.

Community problem solving - community problem solving efforts include, but not limited to, united way staff involvement and resources for la crosse county family policy board, coulee collaborative to end homelessness, rebuilding for learning community retreat, la crosse mental health coalition, monroe county mental health coalition, monroe county safe community coalition, better together, resilience trauma informed care framework, 2-1-1 advisory committee, healthy families advisory committee, w-2 steering committee, community youth supports, coulee region volunteer coordinators, and disaster preparedness and recovery efforts., program service accomplishments: launched learn to lead program educating people interested in serving on nonprofit boards. Coordinated a city-wide food drive in partnership with rotary lights. Launched impacks an initiative for business parters to have employees pack kits to help local nonprofits with hygiene items, cleaning supplies, snack packs, and school supplies. Born learning trails are an outdoor literacy tool for pre-school age children and their care givers. This program consists of coordinating the installation and maintenance of the trails currently in sparta, onalaska, la crosse, la crescent, tomah, and black river falls. Read to success is a one-on-one tutoring program for 3rd graders that aims to put kids on a road to success. Participating schools include la crosse, caledonia, onalaska, west salem, sparta, tomah, prairie du chien, and black river falls. Coordinated the dolly parton imagination library in crawford and grant counties. In 2024, 5,737 books were mailed to 485 children. Healthconnect assists income eligible households who purchase marketplace plans with premium assistance. Published compass now 2024 a community health needs assessment with local health department, health center, and nonprofit partners. View the 2024 report at compassnow.org. This effort helps identify health and human service critical issues and what community assets can be leveraged in finding solutions for a six county area (houston (mn), buffalo, la crosse, monroe, trempealeau, and vernon (wi)). The compass report provides valuable information and presents the results of data collected through a community survey, focus groups, an extensive review of socio-economic indicators, and an inventory of community assets. The purpose of the compass report is to serve as a reference tool and foundation for action plans that solve problems long term.

Better together in la crosse county is an 8-year project funded by the healthier wisconsin partnership project of the advancing a healthier wisconsin endowment at the medical college of wisconsin from 2016 through 2024. La crosse county is one of 10 communities in the state of wisconsin who received funding to work on improving behavioral health among its youth. The better together project seeks to reduce the number of youth, ages 12-18, who are at risk for depression. To achieve this goal, they focused on three key strategies: empowering youth, supporting adults, and creating system change. Better together helped over 2500 youth gain pratical skills for mental wellness, taught 3500 adults how to recognize and respond to mental health challenges, engaged 2500 community members in learning about childhood trauma and healing and trained over 85% of school staff in la crosse county in youth mental health first aid. Better together leveraged the youth risk behavior survey to raise awareness of the needs of youth for mental health interventions. Better together forged a partnership between great rivers united way and the mental health coalition of greater la crosse to continue work beyond 2024. Volunteer program the great rivers united way operates an online volunteer platform, ugetconnected, in partnership with local universities and colleges. This partnership promotes volunteer opportunities at local nonprofits and facilitates volunteer activities to enhance the quality of life in our community. Ugetconnected promotes the value of volunteerism, serves as a resource to nonprofit agencies, businesses and educational facilities in effectively utilizing volunteers and provides valuable volunteer service opportunities to the community. Ugetconnected can be accessed at ugetconnected.org. Labor relations program partnership between great rivers united way and organized labor. This program supports ongoing activities that include, but not limited to intervention services and the letter carriers food drive.