HEALTH TEAM
This team is a collection of three groups: Birchwood Area Parish Nursing Project, Alternative/Holistic Health Modalities and Breast-feeding Advocates for Community Health (BACH).
The Birchwood Area Parish Nursing Project was formed to increase dissemination of health information in rural America. MIRA money was used to purchase office equipment, phones and an answering machine for the RN on duty who provides referrals and counseling to area residents.
Partnerships
Each of the six registered nurses are volunteers and of different faiths. As it is an ecumenical organization, the Parish Nursing Project received a $2500 grant from the United Methodist Church to help cover operating costs.
Project Activities
The Alternative/Holistic Health Modalities group's mission was to create a directory of all alternative health care providers within a two-hour radius of Ladysmith.
The group sent surveys out to alternative practitioners and plans to send the completed directory back to the practitioners for patients to peruse.
Partnerships
Two people involved with the holistic arts have a web site business and will be taking responsibility of updating the directory and keeping it on the web.
BACH
BACH is still in the planning stages. Coordinating with several different communities has been a challenge. As Cindy Halfen says, "We're all on different levels, but we're working together."
Partnerships
BACH recently received 13 out of 100 scholarships from the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care. These scholarships are to train selected community members on how to become mentors and advocates for breast-feeding.
Cindy has used MIRA funds to purchase Best Start materials, a digital video camera and editing software to do promotional digital storytelling and videos.
BACH is collaborating with several hospital nurses and local resources that include the Northwoods Family Resource Center and others to increase the rate and longevity among breast-feeding mothers.
Leadership
Leadership in this group is always by consensus as evidenced by their weekly BACH videoconference sessions. This leadership style enables the BACH group to benefit from everyone's knowledge and experience. The project is moving slowly, but options are being explored by all members to ensure that they produce the best product possible.
On another positive note, as a result of all her work with the BACH program, Cindy Halfen has been asked to be on the Northwest Family Resource Center Advisory Board.
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