Today, Mayor Tom Barrett and Commissioner of Health Bevan K. Baker released the 2015-216 City of Milwaukee Community Health Assessment. The report provides detailed information in more than 100 measures across 21 core variables on the health status of city residents as well as conditions that impact health.

the 2015-2016 City of Milwaukee Community Health Assessment.

“We have seen much success in areas such as teen birth rates, immunizations, and childhood lead poisoning, and I am committed to driving further improvements for the health of all Milwaukee residents,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “Our City of Milwaukee Community Health Assessment will be the first step in a process of identifying additional priorities and partnerships that will create a healthier Milwaukee.”

Part of a yearlong effort conducted in collaboration with the health system members of the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership to gather, analyze, and summarize local data on the health status of city residents and the conditions that impact health of residents, the assessment serves as the foundation from which a community health improvement plan will be developed.

The findings highlight not only traditional measures of illness, access to health care, and individual health behaviors, but also areas such as income, employment, education, and the built environment that are much more powerful than health care and health behaviors in determining the overall health of communities, neighborhoods, and the city as a whole.

“This report presents a snapshot of the health of city residents today,” said Commissioner of Health Bevan K. Baker. “With this information in hand, we will now begin a community health improvement planning process that will result in a community-driven plan for a healthier Milwaukee. This collaborative process will identify priorities and action steps for improving health outcomes in Milwaukee – and will call on partners citywide to come together around key issues.”

Over the coming months, the MHD will convene community members and stakeholders to select priority areas for communitywide action, and then to identify agencies and partners best suited to address these issues. The resulting Community Health Improvement Plan will then be used to guide updates to the MHD strategic plan.

The City of Milwaukee Community Health Assessment is available for community comment and feedback at Milwaukee.gov/health.