TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE

RHONDA SIEBECKER/STAR-TIMES

From left, Pat Remington, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Health, and Barb Theis, Health Officer of the Juneau County Public Health Department, talk about Juneau County health rankings and how the county can move toward better health.

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By Rhonda Siebecker
Star-Times

When a Star-Times news story was printed in December 2006 highlighting a recent report that ranked Juneau County as the "unhealthiest" county of 72 in the state, several community members decided to take that negative situation and turn it into positive action.

According to Juneau County Public Health Officer Barb Theis, the story, written by Tim Damos, struck a chord with local community members to try to do something about the county's health.

"We know we have strengths and we know we have deficits," Theis said. "We don't want to be 72nd."

A committee was formed and a partnership grant was won. This resulted in a year-long project, where business people, health employees, social workers and other community members come together as part of a steering committee to discuss "Creating Healthy Rural Communities."

During the March and April meetings, members listened to guest speakers, Pat Remington and Dr. Gregory Chu PhD, respectively.

Looking at the rankings

In the first meeting of the group, Remington, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Population Health Institute, said public health is changing. "Communities can really think about how major changes can begin in society," he said.

Remington said the public needs to be educated for a shift to better public health. He said Juneau County was "fortunate to have such leadership and dedication over the years" because Theis and others have shown a "strong commitment to reaching out to the rest of the state."

He said the rankings were based on health outcomes that were measured, in part, by premature mortality and quality of life, but, "no place in Wisconsin is as healthy as it could be."

Remington said, "Juneau County has certain challenges."

He said many of the major causes that affect health "cannot be fixed in the public health system," such as mental health, tobacco use, substance abuse and obesity.

However, Remington said, bringing awareness to the problem was the first step. "Tim Damos likes to hold communities accountable," he said, adding that the media plays an important role in bringing to light problems with the county's health.

He said one area that could be focused on for improvement is graduation rates among high school students and nutrition in schools. Remington said, "There's no reason Juneau County can't have the healthiest schools in the country."

Dr. Nancy Ness of Mile Bluff Medical Center, and a member of the steering committee, said some people may be under the impression that physicians can do something about the health ranking. She said there are many things out of a physician's control, such as certain lifestyle choices people make. She said, "We cannot compel people not to buy donuts."

Ness added, "Problems are lying in the homes and between the ears of a lot of people." She added that physicians are witness to "a slew of unhealthy behaviors."

Remington said Ness made "an incredibly important statement." He added that physicians throughout the state are "astounded at the level of preventable conditions."

Mapping out health

April's speaker was Dr. Gregory Chu, PhD, who presented information on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and public health. "You see things in a geographic sense," Chu said, adding that the technology helps in "studying disease distribution geographically."

He gave an example of how breast cancer mortality rates in women and lung cancer rates in men could be mapped to show frequency and how the diseases were treated.

Other maps Chu pointed out showed school district graduation rates. Much of that information was compiled by Liz Housworth of the Juneau County Land Information Office.

At the April meeting, Carol Roth, project facilitator through Starfish Consulting, Inc., led the group through an exercise about survival in poverty, middle class and wealthy social classes. "There are hidden rules," she said. Roth also introduced a book, "Bridges out of Poverty," that members were able to take home to read.