Bayview Garden Partnership
The Bayview Foundation Community Garden at UnityPoint Health – Meriter allows participants ages 12 and 13, to practice group-based work centered on food access and sustainability.
Throughout the summer, participants get hands-on experience planting, tending and harvesting the organic food garden plot at Meriter hospital. Yields from the garden are distributed to community members via Bayview Foundation’s food pantry and cooking classes.
Meriter provides funding and space for the garden program.
The homeless outreach program at UnityPoint Health – Meriter, Helping Educate and Link the Homeless (HEALTH), helps people facing homelessness or housing insecurity receive care for both acute and chronic health conditions.
When individuals are focused each day on finding food, water, warmth, rest and security, health care is difficult to attain. That's why the dedicated team at HEALTH practices a grassroots approach, adhering to the Street Medicine model: engaging unhoused individuals exactly where they are and on their own terms.
With funding supported through the Meriter Foundation, the HEALTH program serves as a bridge for those individuals who are uninsured, unemployed or disconnected from medical and other community services. The program leverages healthcare and social workers to assist unhoused community members in navigating the healthcare system and ensures they get the care they need.
Workforce Through Community Partnerships - UnityPoint Health - Meriter and Black Men Coalition of Dane County
UnityPoint Health – Meriter and the Black Men Coalition of Dane County (BMCDC) have partnered to expand career opportunities for underrepresented individuals in the healthcare industry. Creating opportunities improves representation in clinic and hospital settings and creates employment opportunities for people new to healthcare.
The organization works closely with Meriter to provide comprehensive career placement and workforce development services. This initiative aims to empower participants by equipping them with the necessary skills and support to succeed in healthcare careers.
Through this partnership, BMCDC provides career placement services such as resume building, application assistance and interview preparation. Additionally, BMCDC collaborates with Meriter Foundation to develop programs that facilitate a smooth transition into the healthcare workplace once someone is hired. This includes topics such as healthcare culture, workforce practices and professional development skills.
