A unit of University Health Services received a federal grant of $23.5 million Tuesday to combat the spread of disease in Wisconsin over the next five years.
The Community Transformation Grant, awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is meant to limit ""death or disability from the leading causes of death in the United States and specifically to demonstrate changes in weight, proper nutrition, physical activity, tobacco use and emotional wellbeing and overall mental health,"" according to the CDC's website.
The Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources, the unit of UHS receiving the federal grant, provides research-based health education and prevention strategies to promote a healthier environment for Wisconsin families and communities.
The funding will be distributed among community-based coalitions in 10 Wisconsin cities and among public health partners such as the YMCA, the UW-Madison Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Wisconsin Cancer Council.
""In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, we made the commitment to serve the community, improving public health throughout Wisconsin,"" said Julie Sherman, spokesperson for Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources. ""The grant offers a great opportunity to make positive differences in the lives of children, families and communities across the state, potentially the next generation of our university students.""
Wisconsin's obesity rate is 1.5 percent higher (26.7) than the national average (25.1), according to a 2008 study from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Smoking-related diseases account for 7,700 annual deaths in Wisconsin, according to a March 2010 study by the University of Wisconsin Tobacco Surveillance and Evaluation Program.
Prevention services, defined as ""comprehensive efforts to ensure healthy lives and healthy choices"" on the Wisconsin Clearinghouse website, focus on spreading awareness on both general and the individual levels to prevent the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
