Healthy People
(revised January 2008)

Focus Area Purpose: The Healthy People focus area was organized to promote physical and mental health in an effort to improve health outcomes for the residents of Kenosha County. This will be achieved through a unified, collaborative community approach to education and the provision of accessible, affordable preventive and responsive health care services. The three primary areas of concentration include:

• Eliminating health disparities
• Ensuring that the underserved residents in Kenosha County have access to a primary care medical, dental or mental health providers
• Ensuring that all residents of Kenosha County live longer, healthier lives with special consideration to the physically and mentally challenged

Health Disparities
Objective: To decrease barriers and health disparities between socio-economic, ethnic and underserved groups

Program Impact:
Provide programming that will:

• Provide educational and preventative outreach programs for those least able to access services
• Increase awareness and knowledge of critical health care issues and concerns as identified in United Way’s 2004 United Way Community Well Being Report and the 2007 Kenosha County Healthy People 2010 Annual Report (reports can be found on United Way’s website and the online application system resource center at www.kenoshaunitedway.org)
• Provide early detection of health care issues and linkage to appropriate care for uninsured, low-income and at-risk populations

Access to Healthcare
Objective: Increase access to primary medical (including prenatal care), dental and mental health care services to underinsured and underserved populations with an emphasis on uninsured, low-income, and at-risk groups

Program Impact:
Provide programming that will:

• Increase access to needed health related services including specialized services
• Provide services and education that will help participants to improve and maintain their overall health
• Provide initial and intermediate mental health crisis stabilization services
• Provide access to effective counseling services that help to increase mental coping skills

Maximizing Independence
Objective:Provide access to programming that will assist physically and mentally challenged individualsto live longer and healthier lives while living in the least restrictive environment possible

Program Impact:
Provide programming that will:

• Assist the medically fragile and elderly to remain in their homes for as long as possible through home care, appropriate nutrition, rehabilitative services, and transportation
• Assist the mentally ill to receive case management, counseling and crisis stabilization services that will allow them to learn appropriate life skills and maintain independent residency

Current Critical Issues:
Special consideration will be given to programs that address the following critical issues (Please refer to the 2007 Healthy People Kenosha County 2010 Annual Report for current indicators):

a. Reducing the infant mortality rate within the African American population:

• United Way will give special consideration to programs that increase awareness and provide accessible, affordable prenatal care services to African American women (programs will be open to all ethnic groups, but will target pregnant African American women).

b. Reducing the incidence of diabetes among the underserved male African American and Hispanic populations:

• United Way will give special consideration to programs that increase awareness and provide accessible, affordable health care services to the African American and Hispanic male populations (programs will be open to all ethnic groups, but will target the African American and Hispanic male populations).

Basic Needs
(currently undergoing revision)
We envision a community where individuals and families can meet life’s basic needs (shelter, food, clothing, and transportation) and gain economic stability through education, job training and permanent housing and basic supportive services. United Way supports programs for people living in poverty, the “working poor’ and survivors of violence or disaster.

Emergency Services

Objective: Provide emergency food, shelter, clothing and other safety net services
Outcome: Immediate financial crises are resolved

Transitional Support

Objective: Increase access to quality comprehensive social services and case management
Outcome: Basic needs are met and people are enabled to move towards self sufficiency.

 Self Sufficiency

Objective: Develop job skills; remove barriers to work, increase the opportunity to obtain safe housing
Outcome: Low income individuals achieve and maintain economic self-sufficiency

Objective: Provide the disabled and elderly with needed support services
Outcome: Elderly and people with special needs live as independently as possible

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Strong Families
(revised October 2007)

Focus Area Purpose: The Strong Families focus area envisions a community where all children are nurtured by informed parents/caregivers and have access to services which prepare them for success in school and life. Youth have the resources and opportunities to achieve their full potential – to become prepared for a productive adulthood to make a contribution to their community. We envision a community where families are strong and healthy. United Way supports programs for low-income and at-risk youth and families.

Youth Services

Objective: To promote quality, affordable programs that will address the core competencies of youth development and are in line with the Search Institute’s 40 developmental assets (see www.search-institute.org/assets).

Program Impact:
I. Provide programming that will result in one or more of the following:

- Increase academic achievement
- Develop positive character traits
- Prevent or reduce teenage pregnancies
- Decrease youth violence
- Decrease alcohol and drug use
- Foster academic and professional achievement

II. Provide programming that will help youth develop comprehensive life skills:

- Money management
- Wellness programs
- Career exploration and job readiness

Family Services/Early-Childhood

Objective: To promote the development of healthy, resilient families and young children by providing access to quality parent education/family support services; early childhood development workshops and mentoring services. Programming should be predominantly preventative in nature to help foster a stable home environment.

Program Impact:
I. Provide programming to families that will:

- Improve parenting skills and knowledge
- Improve problem resolution and coping skills
- Provide families with resources to help them become stabilized
- Provide quality, educationally based child care

II. Provide early childhood workshops and programs that will:

- Help young children develop socially, emotionally, cognitively and physically
- Advocate for children to help to provide safe and/or stable home environments