Taking our mission of health improvement beyond our walls into the community
ThedaCare is evolving into a population health organization, challenging the antiquated systems that incentivize more procedures over preventative measures. Customers of health services across Northeast and Central Wisconsin want to live healthier, more meaningful lives. It’s ThedaCare’s purpose to help them do just that.
To that end, the best models today suggest only 20% of health is created inside the walls of health care systems. That means that 80% of health is a result of what happens in our homes, our workplaces, our schools, our faith institutions, our communities. (See graphic below). To achieve our mission, ThedaCare is engaged upstream, in these same venues, linked arm in arm with public health and our communities to build health and well-being together.
Determinants of Health (UW Population Health Institute)
Many non-profit organizations across the region are doing the hard work of providing Urgent Services for people in need during challenging times, such as shelter, food assistance, and addiction services. However, long-term, intergenerational health and well-being are created upstream by investing in the Vital Conditions that create health in the first place. Vital Conditions include such things as access to transportation, meaningful work, and acquisition of wealth, lifelong learning, basic needs such as health care and food, humane housing, and belonging.
ThedaCare’s Community Health Improvement efforts are focused on working with community partners to shift the focus over time to upstream investment in vital conditions that lay the foundation for all to achieve their best possible life.
