I had the good fortune to be in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin recently to give a presentation as part of the unveiling of their new Healthy County Fond du Lac 2020 plan. Fond du Lac County faces many of the same health challenges that confront communities around Wisconsin and around the country. Through their most recent community health assessment, they’ve updated their priorities to reduce problematic alcohol and other drug use, improve access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity, and reduce conditions that are leading to mental health crises and suicides.
What’s noteworthy about Fond du Lac County’s efforts?
- The right leaders. Healthy Fond du Lac County has the support of leading people and organizations in the community, including the health systems, the United Way, the public health department, the YMCA, and the schools. All of these organizations have a role to play and a stake in healthier people and healthier places, and it’s great to see them engaged. Each priority has a diverse working group that is chaired by a subject matter expert and community leader – they are pictured above.
- The right engagement. Beyond a “grass-tops” only approach, the Healthy Fond du Lac County 2020 team sought perspectives from people working with a St. Vincent de Paul poverty reduction mentoring program, teen parents, the Latinx community, and an open, community-wide Priority Health Issues survey that was made available online and at the library. They also distributed surveys at the local garden club, churches, and coffee shops. By getting this true community voice, the coalition’s leaders are building resident engagement in their own health as well as the health of their local community. As further evidence of engagement and commitment, more than 100 people showed up at 7:00 in the morning to hear about progress on the Healthy County Plan and to sign up to do more in the coming years.
- Honest assessment of assets and gaps. Like many communities, they’ve been at this work of improving health for a while in Fond du Lac County. The good news is that they are having success. The action plan for the next three years no longer includes oral health as a priority because so much progress was made on the issue in the last three years. At the same time, there is more work to do on the priority areas they have identified. Most importantly, there are many, many assets available in the community to address each of these priority areas. The trick? Understand what gaps and barriers remain, and go after them.
- Understanding root causes. Going forward, the Healthy Fond du Lac County partners are weaving in a focus on social determinants of health like education, income, and employment, as well as a focus on trauma-informed care to better address the true root causes of poor health status and outcomes.
My advice to them (in part) was to commit to staying the course while honing their strategies over time so that they are working ever more effectively to be:
- Data-driven
- Evidence-informed
- Grounded in community
- Ambitious, yet feasible
- Financially viable and sustainable
- Focused on implementation and accountability
- Addressing gaps in opportunities for good health – not just “improving the averages” but identifying and addressing the gaps
- Changing community norms and expectations around what it takes to make workplaces, schools, retail establishments, and communities healthier.
The bottom line: Good health matters to businesses, schools, community leaders, and to all of us. By working together across organizational lines and engaging community leaders as well as community residents in an honest conversation about what it will take to create more opportunities for everyone to be healthier, Fond du Lac County is well on its way to realizing its vision of a community where all Fond du Lac children and adults can reach their highest potential for health. Thanks for having me, and keep up the great work!
