Welcome to the inaugural edition of the AHEC Connection! The purpose of this quarterly electronic newsletter is to inform stakeholders of Northeastern Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (NEWAHEC) about items of interest in our region related to healthcare workforce issues. NEWAHEC serves 11 counties: Brown, Door, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington and Winnebago. To learn more about NEWAHEC, visit our web site at: www.newahec.org.
TeenScreen Program
In each issue of the AHEC Connection we will feature one of the projects supported by NEWAHEC. This quarter we are featuring the Teen Screen project in Fond du Lac. This project was developed in response to a need identified by the Fond du Lac School District. They noticed an alarming number of suicides and suicide attempts among teens in their community. To address the problem, they implemented the Teen Screen behavioral health screening tool developed by Columbia University. Teen Screen uses a three-step process:

The first screening is a paper and pencil method that asks questions about known risk factors of suicide, depression, alcohol and drug abuse and suicide attempts. General health questions about vision, hearing and dental needs are also asked during this part of the screening. If a student displays indications of risk based on the first screen, they continue on to the next step.

The second screening is a computerized assessment that confirms and provides more information about the risk indicators measured in the first screen. This component assesses the presence of more that 30 mental health disorders based on the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) criteria.

Students flagged for risk factors after the second screen are interviewed by one of a group of volunteer local mental health professionals. If this interview indicates the need for mental health services, the school case manager schedules a follow-up meeting with the parents and the student to discuss treatment options.

The entire screening process is completed the same day. That efficiency is attributed to the dedication of the Fond Du Lac School District, the local mental health professionals and the Marian College students who facilitate the program. Their donation of time and talent demonstrates a strong commitment to a very important local health care issue. Now in its fourth year, the Teen Screen has screened over 800 9th graders in schools throughout Fond du Lac County. Approximately 21% of students screened have been referred for follow-up. The following components make this an exceptional AHEC project:
  1. It proactively addresses a community health need.
  2. It engages health professions students. Each year, up to 20 social work and psychology students from Marian College in Fond du Lac are actively involved in the project.
  3. It engages numerous community partners. Besides the Fond du Lac School District and Marian College, other key partners include local mental health providers and the Fond du Lac County Health Department.
  4. It has well defined, measurable outcomes.
  5. It contains both in-kind and hard dollar matching support.
For more information about this project, contact Marian Sheridan, Coordinator of Health and Safety, Fond du Lac School District, by calling 920-906-6548, or sending an email to sheridanm@fonddulac.k12.wi.us.
Regional Health Care Alliances
It is no secret that an aging workforce and aging baby boomers will increase the demand for healthcare services and healthcare workers. How a community or geographic region addresses that need requires creativity and collaboration. Healthcare systems that compete for patients, and academic training programs that compete for students are coming to the table together to address this issue. There are two such coalitions active in northeast Wisconsin, the LakeShore Health Care Alliance (LSHCA) in Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties, and the Fox Valley Health Care Alliance (FVHCA), Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Outagamie, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago Counties.


  LSHCA was formed in the fall of 2000, when the president of Lakeshore Technical College, invited the Presidents, Administrators, and CEOs from all of the area health care organizations to a meeting to define needs and discuss ways to collaborate that would ensure future health care employment needs would be met. This initial meeting provided the launch to a continuum of efforts carried forward by human resources and clinical managers, and college and university staff. LSHCA has enjoyed numerous successes in its 5 years. Among its accomplishments are:
  • Developed a best practices job shadow program
  • Launched the website (www.lshca.org)
  • Offered a health careers open house as well as a workshop for high school counselors
  • Raised awareness of health careers through presentations to community service groups
  • Developed a priority list of needed employees
  • Collaborated with local colleges resulting in increased nurses, return of the practical nurse program, increased nursing assistants
  • Developed summer health careers camp
  • Supported the development of the numerous educational programs, including BSN degree, medical coding, clinical lab tech, health unit coordinator and the multi-skilled worker, surgical technologist, phlebotomy
For more information, visit  www.lshca.org



  Modeled after the LSHCA, the FVHCA was convened by the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board in October, 2004. Initial discussion and planning led to three sub-groups: PR/Marketing, to develop a web site and speakers bureau, Job Shadowing, to develop a standardized job shadowing process for FVHCA healthcare partners, and Needs Assessment, to assess the specific healthcare labor needs of the Fox Valley region. After one year, FVHCA has made considerable progress:
  • Launched a website (www.fvhca.org) for the coalition
  • Developed a uniform job shadow process among healthcare partners
  • Launched the first phase of the needs assessment – a healthcare retirement and departure intentions survey; the second phase of the assessment will assess the current number of positions staffed and the age ranges of employees
  • Applied to National Library of Medicine for a planning grant to investigate and develop a strategy to streamline communication for setting up clinical experience for nursing and imaging students
  • Three of FVHCA’s partners collaborated to offer an accelerated LPN program for 18 displaced workers
For more information, visit  www.fvhca.org
Recommended Web Sites

Wisconsin AHEC Home Page
www.ahec.wisc.edu

Health Careers Information
www.wihealthcareers.org

Health Information
www.healthywisconsin.org

Hmong Health
www.hmonghealth.org

Medical Interpreters
www.wclah.org
Visit our web site at
www.newahec.org