Doors Open for Innovative New Health Care Partnership

Madison - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz led the grand opening today of an innovative new health care partnership. Funded with assistance from a federal grant secured by Sen. Herb Kohl, the Triangle Health and Wellness Center will address the health and wellness needs of the residents in the Triangle Project. Cieslewicz was joined at the event by Darcy Luoma representing Sen. Kohl's office. "This new facility is a major step forward in providing quality services for Triangle Project residents," said Mayor Cieslewicz. "These services are being provided thanks to a unique partnership that includes over 30 agencies offering a diverse range of programs. I am grateful to each of these agencies for their efforts and am particularly grateful to Sen. Kohl for his efforts to secure the funding that made today possible." "It is so very important that people in communities big and small have access to quality health services," Kohl said. "I know that this project has been a team effort from the start and I'm very pleased that this updated center is now ready to serve the Triangle Project's residents." The City of Madison Community Development Authority (CDA) operates 348 units in its Triangle Project area on Madison's near west side. Non-elderly disabled residents occupy approximately 92% or 320 of these units, possibly one of the highest concentrations of disabled individuals in Wisconsin. The CDA, through Department of Housing and Urban Development Service Coordinator Grants, has been working to address the many needs of this population. Some 30 community agencies are now providing services, such as Dane County Mental Health, Community Living Alliance, Meriter Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, the University of Wisconsin, Edgewood College, and Triangle Community Ministry. This is a unique partnership of private and public agencies, non-sectarian and religious based organizations, which have banded together to meet the needs of a struggling population. Of special note has been the assistance of Meriter Hospital through the work of Nurse Joy Drummond. Previously, there was not space available that was well suited for providing these services. The prior facilities were apartment units that had been converted to serve as clinic and office space. They were not constructed as accessible units, adding to the difficulty in service delivery. Thanks to the work of Sen. Kohl's office, a $196,413 grant from the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services was obtained to remodel the facilities into modern, accessible clinic and office space for direct service delivery.