There are three priority theme areas where implementation efforts have been made: access to oral health care, safety and injury prevention, and safe food.

The Madison Department of Public Health is a member of the Dane County Health Council, along with 12 agencies, whose charge is to improve access to health care for all Dane County residents. One of the priority areas of the Health Council is increasing access to dental care. Beginning in 2001, the Madison Department of Public Health has led a Dental Access Subcommittee of the Dane County Health Council to further explore ways to increase the number of dental providers serving low-income and uninsured populations. Other members include the Dane County Division of Public Health, United Way, Meriter Hospital, and UW Hospital and Clinics.

In April of 2002, this subcommittee organized a meeting with 11 community oral health providers to discuss strategies. Although all of these providers already provided care to medical assistance and uninsured patients, all were over capacity to take on many more. The meeting focused on discussing possible solutions for increasing the number of dental providers and access to oral health care. A number of potential strategies were discussed. The most promising were:

• Developing and implementing a plan for coordinated volunteer dental services
• Expanding capacity and fundraising for the Harambee Dental Clinic
• Increasing capacity at MATC Children's Dental Clinic
• Expanding dental treatment at local hospitals

In July of 2002, a meeting took place with a dental provider who has agreed to provide pro bono dental care to uninsured young children in acute crisis in a hospital setting. Two local Dane County hospitals, St. Marys Hospital and Stoughton Hospital, have agreed to provide facilities and staff to this dental provider for children identified by Madison and Dane County Public Health.

From August through December of 2002, details were mapped out for a Dental Referral Network in Dane County. A Dental Referral Network would consist of a coordinated network of dentists who would provide services to a specified number of patients in their own facility, either at no charge, with an initiation fee (co-pay) or at a greatly reduced cost (such as medical assistance rates). Dentists would be recruited and a centralized information system set up to enable persons with a dental problem to be referred to these dental providers. Appointments would be scheduled and arrangements made to reduce and eliminate potential barriers to keeping appointments, such as transportation or interpretation. Dental follow-up and referral to other oral health providers would also be coordinated. The Dental Access subcommittee is pursuing the idea of a Dental Referral Network either as its own entity or as part of a medical model being developed by the Health Council that would improve access to all health care, including dental health and pharmaceuticals.

In 2003, research and evaluation of a pilot Dental Referral Network will take place. Research will be conducted on other models around the country and a local pilot (a small scale Dental Referral Network coordinated by the Dental Health Specialist/ Coordinator at Madison and Dane County Public Health) will be documented and evaluated. Recommendations for expanding and implementing a Dental Referral Network across Dane County will be made.

For information about dental health services for families, please refer to Dental Health Services.

Promotion of oral health education was the other major component of the framework for action developed at the Community Solutions meeting to address dental access problems and raise awareness about the importance of preventive dental care.

In 2003, plans are underway to:

• Promote oral health education during dental health months (February and October)
• Develop materials for address oral health issues in the Latino community

The key to success of the safety and injury prevention work of the Madison Department of Public Health has been collaboration with other organizations that are committed to making our community safer. The most important collaboration has been with the Safe Community Coalition of Madison and Dane County. Below is a list of Madison Department of Public Health's most recent safety and injury prevention activities, including the collaborating agencies. The top two safety and injury prevention concerns voiced at the Safety and Injury Prevention Listening Sessions were traffic safety and home safety issues. These activities will be listed first, then other general awareness safety and injury prevention activities.

Further investigation was needed to find out more specifically about the traffic concerns of the community. In May of 2001, a Community Traffic Summit was organized. Over 80 people gathered to determine, as a community, how to reduce death and injury from traffic crashes, improve driver behavior, and enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety. The top concerns were identified and solutions to address these concerns were generated. See the Community Traffic Summit Report for details.

Traffic Safety Projects in 2001:

Slow Down Yard Sign Campaign (May 2001) - Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association led a "Slow Down, Watch for Kids" Yard Sign Campaign. 22 Madison neighborhood associations and 10 Dane County communities participated, with over 2000 signs posted across Dane County generously donated by AAA Wisconsin. Increased traffic enforcement, by local law enforcement agencies, also took place during that week.

3^rd Annual Walk our children To School Campaign (October 2001) - Over 23 schools across Dane County, 32 Madison Neighborhood Associations, 7 Dane County communities and several Dane County law enforcement agencies to raise awareness about pedestrian safety around schools and in neighborhoods

In January of 2002, 60 people attended a meeting, organized by the Safe Community Coalition to further develop three traffic safety priorities identified at the Community Traffic Summit. As a result of this meeting, three traffic safety projects were developed for 2002:

2^nd Annual Slow Down Yard Sign Campaign (May 2002) - "Slow Down, Watch for Kids" yard signs campaign was conducted. 28 neighborhoods, in conjunction with increased law enforcement by 13 law enforcement agencies across Dane County. [Safe Community Coalition]

This campaign was evaluated in 2002. See the Slow Down Yard Sign Evaluation Report for details.

Stop On Red Campaign (July 2002) - " Yellow Means Stop on Red" signs were posted at 5 Madison high crash intersections, in conjunction with increased enforcement by Madison Police Traffic Enforcement Safety Team. [Safe Community Coalition]

In order to see whether this campaign was effective, Madison Department of Public Health coordinated observations before, during and after the campaign. See Stop on Red Campaign Evaluation Report for details.

4^th Annual Walk Our Children To School Campaign (October 2002) - 26 schools and 15 law enforcement agencies across Dane County participated in a campaign to reduce unsafe parent drop-off / pick-up behavior and slow down drivers in school zones. [SAFE KIDS Coalition and Safe Community Coalition]

Evaluation of three participating schools took place, coordinated by Madison Department of Public Health. See Walk Our Children to School Campaign Evaluation Report for details.

Neighbor-to-Neighbor Safe Home Visit Pilot (November 2002 - February 2001) - 19 trained neighborhood volunteers and fire department staff conducted 25 "safe home checks" for their neighbors who are over 65 or families with young children. This pilot was conducted in Madison's Northside neighborhoods, Madison Carpenter/Ridgeway neighborhood and Oregon. [Safe Community Coalition]

Latino Safe Home Visit Pilot (October - December 2002) - 6 Latino Home Day Care Providers (3 pairs) were trained and 16 visits for Latino families with young children were conducted. [Community Coordinated Child Care]

Madison Public Health is an active member with the Safe Nursery Action Group of the SAFE KIDS Coalition. This group has made efforts to raise awareness about potentially dangerous used nursery equipment and clothing that is found at secondhand stores, day care centers, garage sales and churches. This Action Group meets on a regular basis. In May 2000, a Resale/Thrift Store Owners Advisory Council was also formed by the Action Group to generate ideas regarding removal of hazardous products from circulation and education of the public. The Advisory Council group meets twice a year.

The Safe Nursery Action Group has developed Safe Nursery News and a Falls Prevention flyer. Both of which have been translated into Spanish. The Action Group also developed a Safe Nursery display. If interested in borrowing, contact Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne at lbullardcawthorne@cityofmadison.com

5^th Annual Safety Saturday (June 2001) - Over 20,000 attended this year's event. 30 different exhibits and a variety of activities took place to educate children and families about safety and injury prevention. This was also the first year of the Safety Saturday parade around the Capitol Square. [Madison Fire and Safe Community Coalition]

Booster Seat Education and Distribution (September 2001) - education of families attending MDPH Well Child and Immunization Clinics and distribution of booster seats. [Madison Fire Department]

Safe Night Out at the Madison Children's Museum (September 2001) - 150 people attended this special event. Children and their families participated in hands-on safety education activities at 15 educational stations staffed by Coalition members. [Safe Community Coalition]

Public Health Week (April 2002) - Interactive health and safety activities for preschool kids 60 and elementary kids 75, e.g., vehicle occupant protection, electrical safety and food safety [Dane County Public Health, Madison Fire, Madison Gas & Electric]

6^th Annual Safety Saturday (June 2002) - Over 10,000 people attended the annual event, organized by over 25 organizations across Dane Co. This event includes interactive displays, games and activities to educate children about safety and injury prevention. MDPH ran a (with 5 other organizations) safety obstacle course and participated in the Safety Parade (including our mascot, Health Nut). [Madison Fire, Safe Community Coalition]

Car Seat Checks at Harambee (July & August 2002) - 2 car seat checks took place at South Madison Health & Family Center - Harambee. Child restraint was improved for 185 children, including 130 of these children receiving car seats. {Madison Fire, Safe Kids Coalition, Dean Foundation, Dane County Public Health, Harambee Coordinating Office]

2^nd Annual Safe Night Out at the Children's Museum (November 2002) - Children and their families participated in hands-on safety education activities at 12 stations. MDPH focused on home safety and food safety, in collaboration with Dane Co. Public Health [Safe Community Coalition]

 

When the Safety and Injury Prevention Listening Session was conducted with a representative group from the Latino community, one message came out loud and clear. Whenever you are developing educational materials and programs about safety and injury prevention, adapt to use with non-English speaking populations. What follows are examples of activities developed specifically for non-English speaking populations.

Pictures used to notify public about contaminated beaches for non-English speaking populations (June - August 2000)

Car seat check-ups for Spanish speaking families at the Holy Redeemer Church (August 2000). [Centro Guadalupe and Madison Area SAFE KIDS Coalition]

Latino Booster Seat Project (February - October 2001) - to raise awareness about the need for booster seats in the Latino community. [ Madison Area SAFE KIDS Coalition, Madison Public Health, Centro Guadalupe, Centro Hispano, Madison Fire Department, La Movida radio station, Junior League, Dean Foundation, Bureau of Transportation Safety, AAA Wisconsin, Friends of UW Hospital and Dane County Public Health]

Educational session at Centro Guadalupe (over 50 K-3^rd grade kids and 25 parents attended). 40 boosters seats distributed. (February 2001)

· A 30-second public service announcement about booster seats - run twice for 5 months on weekly Spanish radio program, La Movida. (April - August 2001).

· Interactive educational session in children's tent at Fiesta Hispana. Information also provided to parents and booster seat vouchers given. (July 2001)

· Booster seat brochures and cover letter sent to 1200 Latino families on UW Hospital & Clinics database (October 2001).

A Home Safety Trailer set up at Fiesta Hispana (July 2001): 100 kids and families identified potential hazards in the home and discussed how to make it safer. Potential interest was also expressed concerning pilot safe home visits in the Latino community. [Collaborated with Madison Fire Department, Madison Area SAFE KIDS Coalition and Centro Hispano]

Latino Safe Home Visit Pilot (June - December 2002): 3 pairs of Latino in-home day care providers trained to conduct safe home visits. 16 Latino families with young children served and safety devices provided. [Community Coordinated Child Care, Madison Fire]

In 2002, evaluation of the effectiveness of the Safety and Injury Prevention Listening Sessions as a means to mobilize the community and evaluation of three traffic safety projects took place. See Phase 6: Evaluation for details.

MDPH Sanitarians and Health Educator provided food safety education to elementary school children:

• Madison Metropolitan School District food service devoted district menu to food safety for one week. Interactive food safety activities at 2 elementary school - over 400 kids (January 2002)
• Madison Metropolitan School District food service devoted menu for month, in recognition of Food Safety Education Month. Food safety education provided to 1^st/2^nd grade class - 25 kids (September 2002)

back to top