Partners in Public Health was created in October 2006 to succeed the former Public Health Advisory Committee.  Members of the Wisconsin Public Health Association and volunteers from PHAC recommended Partners as an important strategy to convene to public health partners and leaders to share information and coordinate action to improve our public's health.  The Partners will share information through this page and routine updates to WPHA and other partner organizations.

History

In February 2006, the Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC) contracted with a facilitator to facilitate a planning process to identify a sustainable structure for a strong collective organizational voice for public health.

A Steering Committee of Mary Jo Baisch, Sarah Beversdorf, Carol Graham, JoAnn Weidmann, and Elizabeth Zelazek, had been formed to lead this effort. With the consultant, they agreed on key steps for the process, determined whose input would be required or desired at each stage, and set a timeline for completion (Appendix A).

PHAC members engaged with the findings and reached an important conclusion: That it was time to disband PHAC in order to create a new entity focused on public health advocacy. They acknowledged that there is much work to be done to define the scope of activities, scale of operation, and organizational structure of this new entity, and to identify expected fiscal needs, revenue sources, and funding gaps. That work will proceed with interested individuals and organizations.

In its 20+ years as an advisory group to the Division of Public Health, the Public Health Advisory Committee has advocated on behalf of the health of Wisconsin citizens. Changes in the public health landscape forced the question: In what form will that advocacy continue? Consensus emerged from this process that PHAC should rightly celebrate its remarkable successes and make way for the formation of a new public health advocacy entity.

Resources

PHAC Survey

October 18, 2006 Meeting

Agenda

Pathways Plan

Wisconsin Health Plan Concept Paper

Wisconsin Health Plan Presentation

March 1, 2007 Meeting

Agenda