Ascension St. Joseph's Hospital, Milwaukee, 2024 Community Benefits
Ascension St. Joseph Investing in Sherman Park Youth
Ascension St. Joseph committed $500,000 over three years to help Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM) launch Sherman Park Re-Imagined. A multimillion-dollar renovation of the park which has been home to the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club since 1991. The project features 12 exterior park improvements including new lighting, pathways, resurfaced basketball courts, a splash pad, concession area, and an upgraded club facility. Construction began in spring 2024.
The project to improve Sherman Park was years in the making and included a series of community meetings and collaboration with Milwaukee County Parks leadership. BGCGM President and CEO Kathy Thornton-Bias said, “Sherman Park is a historical landmark, and we are here for the long term, and committed to improving this space and seeing the benefits it brings to our community and the youth we serve.”
Along with the Milwaukee County Parks, Ascension St. Joseph provided significant funding to BGCGM and announced plans to expand its free oral health program at the Mary Ryan Clubhouse providing free dental care for 750 children and adolescents during the summer months.
“St. Joseph Hospital and Sherman Park have been longtime neighbors in Milwaukee, and neighbors support each other,” said Ascension Wisconsin CEO Daniel Jackson. “Ascension Wisconsin is pleased to contribute to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee to renovate Sherman Park and to deliver more care to people, aligning with our shared missions of improving the health of both the individuals and the community we serve, especially those most vulnerable.”
Ascension's mobile oral health program has been providing free dental care to kids through the BGCGM at Sherman Park for years but with this investment will create a permanent presence for Ascension Smart Smiles onsite.
The health system is also providing career development, certified nursing assistant training and job placements at its local hospitals.
Ascension St. Joseph and BGCGM are committed to working together to find additional areas of partnership to meet the health and wellness needs of the Milwaukee community.
The project to improve Sherman Park was years in the making and included a series of community meetings and collaboration with Milwaukee County Parks leadership. BGCGM President and CEO Kathy Thornton-Bias said, “Sherman Park is a historical landmark, and we are here for the long term, and committed to improving this space and seeing the benefits it brings to our community and the youth we serve.”
Along with the Milwaukee County Parks, Ascension St. Joseph provided significant funding to BGCGM and announced plans to expand its free oral health program at the Mary Ryan Clubhouse providing free dental care for 750 children and adolescents during the summer months.
“St. Joseph Hospital and Sherman Park have been longtime neighbors in Milwaukee, and neighbors support each other,” said Ascension Wisconsin CEO Daniel Jackson. “Ascension Wisconsin is pleased to contribute to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee to renovate Sherman Park and to deliver more care to people, aligning with our shared missions of improving the health of both the individuals and the community we serve, especially those most vulnerable.”
Ascension's mobile oral health program has been providing free dental care to kids through the BGCGM at Sherman Park for years but with this investment will create a permanent presence for Ascension Smart Smiles onsite.
The health system is also providing career development, certified nursing assistant training and job placements at its local hospitals.
Ascension St. Joseph and BGCGM are committed to working together to find additional areas of partnership to meet the health and wellness needs of the Milwaukee community.
Driving Transformation to Address Social Determinants of Health and Improve Health Equity
Ascension Wisconsin’s Mission is to deliver compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to those most vulnerable. It was with this in mind when, in early March of 2024, Ascension Wisconsin leaders met with a common goal: to develop a collaborative plan addressing social determinants of health (SDoH) in an effort to achieve health equity and optimize the health of those most in need.
People in vulnerable populations — as defined by socioeconomic characteristics — historically make more preventable visits to emergency rooms than others, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which defines visits to emergency departments as preventable when they are for health conditions that could have been handled in a non-emergency setting or avoided if the patient had adequate prior preventive care.
Ensuring access to both primary care services and community-based resources can help close gaps in identified SDoH, reduce avoidable emergency department utilization, and better support patients with complex needs not often addressed by the traditional medical model.
“Understanding a patient's living circumstances is vital to being able to effectively treat that patient's illnesses and promote that patient's health. Clinicians, in particular those of us in primary care, strive to get to know our patients and to understand their work, eating, transportation, where they live and their social situations,” said Dr. Patricia Golden, DO Chief Medical Officer, Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin.
Increasing access to preventative care for conditions such as diabetes, maternal health, mental health and addressing those areas that impact health beyond healthcare such as housing, food insecurity, and violence, among others, have been shown to improve health outcomes and life expectancy.
“Designing and implementing a more integrated care model will help our patients find care
in the appropriate setting,” said Chintan Desai, MD, MSHI, MHA, CPE, Chief Medical Officer, Ascension Wisconsin. “By forming trusting relationships with them, their families, and community partners, we are better able to address patients’ medical, behavioral health and social needs, and coordinate services that support their well-being and help keep them out of the hospital.”
“Hospitals play a vital role in the community,“ said Dr. Desai. “Within the health system, the clinical team has a unique opportunity to be that bridge to services and resources for our patients so we can better meet their needs. By identifying high users of our emergency departments we can then work with them on an individual basis to discover why that is and get them connected to the resources they need to live a healthy life.”
While each patient is unique with their own set of challenges, redesigning the delivery system with a common set of concepts and actions will provide a better understanding of those needs. Physician leaders, emergency department and hospital leadership teams, as well as community program advocates, continue to work on identifying additional opportunities to partner and collaborate. Finding tangible solutions to the barriers individuals must overcome to achieve a better quality of life is an important way Ascension St. Joseph Hospital is working to reduce preventable disparities in health outcomes.
People in vulnerable populations — as defined by socioeconomic characteristics — historically make more preventable visits to emergency rooms than others, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which defines visits to emergency departments as preventable when they are for health conditions that could have been handled in a non-emergency setting or avoided if the patient had adequate prior preventive care.
Ensuring access to both primary care services and community-based resources can help close gaps in identified SDoH, reduce avoidable emergency department utilization, and better support patients with complex needs not often addressed by the traditional medical model.
“Understanding a patient's living circumstances is vital to being able to effectively treat that patient's illnesses and promote that patient's health. Clinicians, in particular those of us in primary care, strive to get to know our patients and to understand their work, eating, transportation, where they live and their social situations,” said Dr. Patricia Golden, DO Chief Medical Officer, Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin.
Increasing access to preventative care for conditions such as diabetes, maternal health, mental health and addressing those areas that impact health beyond healthcare such as housing, food insecurity, and violence, among others, have been shown to improve health outcomes and life expectancy.
“Designing and implementing a more integrated care model will help our patients find care
in the appropriate setting,” said Chintan Desai, MD, MSHI, MHA, CPE, Chief Medical Officer, Ascension Wisconsin. “By forming trusting relationships with them, their families, and community partners, we are better able to address patients’ medical, behavioral health and social needs, and coordinate services that support their well-being and help keep them out of the hospital.”
“Hospitals play a vital role in the community,“ said Dr. Desai. “Within the health system, the clinical team has a unique opportunity to be that bridge to services and resources for our patients so we can better meet their needs. By identifying high users of our emergency departments we can then work with them on an individual basis to discover why that is and get them connected to the resources they need to live a healthy life.”
While each patient is unique with their own set of challenges, redesigning the delivery system with a common set of concepts and actions will provide a better understanding of those needs. Physician leaders, emergency department and hospital leadership teams, as well as community program advocates, continue to work on identifying additional opportunities to partner and collaborate. Finding tangible solutions to the barriers individuals must overcome to achieve a better quality of life is an important way Ascension St. Joseph Hospital is working to reduce preventable disparities in health outcomes.
