“The university system and University of Wisconsin –Milwaukee can play a greater role in the health care needs of Wisconsin’s largest city.” -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett

At the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting on Friday, the regents endorsed the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee report on public health in Milwaukee.

The next step is to start organizing a planning council that will begin immediately putting together the necessary programs to tackle the city’s growing health issues.

The Milwaukee community has faced many critical health issues in recent years, including high infant mortality rates, high STD rates and a growing correlation between crime rates and past high teen birth rates.

“I honestly think we can not ignore statistics like this,” said Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett. “The university system and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee can play a greater role in the health care needs of Wisconsin’s largest city.”

For more than a year, Barrett and UWM officials have been working to bring a school of public health to Milwaukee that would tackle the city's growing health issues.

The findings of the Public Health Planning Committee’s recent report show that a school of public health is a necessary resource for the Milwaukee community and UWM has what it takes to provide it.

“We have much greater diversity in Milwaukee,” said Bonnie Halvorson, Public Health Planning Committee manager. “What that translates to, if we had a school of public health in Milwaukee, is we can train a diverse workforce.”

Diversity isn’t the only benefit the school of public health could bring to the community. Halvorson said it would also focus on air and water quality, nursing, eldercare and other sciences that benefit the health care field.

This sets a school of public health aside from a medical college. A medical college concentrates on treatment and diagnoses while a school of public health concentrates on prevention.

UWM’s large College of Health Sciences combined with a strong College of Nursing and College of Letters & Science are great sources for the programs the school of public health needs, but more is needed for the school to be a success, Halvorson said.

“We need support from all parties interested in advancing public health,” said Bevan Baker, Milwaukee commissioner of health.

UW-Madison gave $50,000 toward the Public Health Planning Committee’s report and is expected to contribute in the future.

“We would cooperate any way possible,” said Jon Sender, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health spokesman. “There’s a lot of work to be done by everyone.”

The school will take roughly eight years to complete and, while the final details are still in the works, the pieces seem to be coming together.

“This is the right time and Milwaukee is the right place,” Baker said.

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