Wisconsin AHEC (Area Health Education Centers)Community Health Internship Program (CHIP)Statewide • Milwaukee • Environmental

2013 Summary ReportThe Wisconsin AHEC Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) links undergraduate and graduate student interns with health departments, com-munity health centers, tribal health centers, and community service agencies throughout Wisconsin to address a variety of public health issues. Projects vary widely to suit interns’ interests and abilities, as well as local needs.On-site mentors provide technical support and assistance and help interns to gain an understanding and appreciation of the broad range of public health activities undertaken at the local level. The program would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of these community health profes-sionals, who enrich the educational experience for CHIP participants. In turn, there is also a benefit to the communities where interns are placed. Projects are proposed by the sponsoring agency or health department, and address local health priorities. Each intern’s work typically has an immediate direct impact on the local community or region, as highlighted in this report.The program is sustained through funding from the State of Wisconsin and from federal and other grants, including WiCPHET (the Wisconsin Center for Public Health Education and Training).

AHEC Statewide CHIPJUNE 3 - JULY 26, 2013 (8 weeks)During summer 2013, 56 students were placed in 39 Wisconsin counties. Statewide CHIP had 16 new sites serving rural and underserved populations.

Milwaukee CHIPJUNE 3 - JULY 26, 2013 (8 weeks)A group of 27 students participated in Milwaukee CHIP. Interns were placed in 4 southeastern counties (Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth). These placements are coordinated by Milwaukee AHEC.

UW-Oshkosh Environmental Intern ProgramThe UW-Oshkosh Environmental Intern Program placed 12 students at four sites to conduct environmental health inspections. These interns participate in statewide CHIP curriculum and online webinars, coordinated by the AHEC statewide program office.

What is AHEC?The AHEC (Area Health Education Center) program is a health professions education and outreach program supported by the State of Wisconsin, federal grants, the state’s health professions training programs, and local communities. It is part of a nationwide network of programs for improving accessibility and quality of primary health care.

The Wisconsin AHEC System consists of seven regional centers located in Manitowoc, Superior, Milwaukee, Madison, Cashton, Wausau, and Marinette. A statewide office, located in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, administers state and federal contracts to the centers, and maintains several statewide programs.

The national program was designed to encourage universities and educators to look beyond their institutions to form partnerships that meet community health needs, working toward the goal of decentralizing health professions training and linking communities with academic health centers in partnerships to promote cooperative solutions to local health problems.

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Participant Profile

Students selected for the program are usually college juniors or seniors, first-year health professions graduate students or other graduate students with a strong interest in public health. Since 2002, AHEC’s statewide program has placed 307 interns in more than 61 participating health departments and 28 other agencies. Milwaukee CHIP has placed 387 students at Milwaukee area sites since that program began in 2000.

Statewide CHIP 56 studentsUndergraduates 53 (Includes RUSCH students - UW SMPH pipeline program)Graduate students 3

Milwaukee CHIP 27 studentsUndergraduates 24 (Includes RUSCH students - UW SMPH pipeline program)Graduate students 1Medical Students 2

Counties with Placements

In 2013, there were 44 counties with at least one AHEC intern. Some counties hosted more than one intern.

Colleges andUniversitiesSpring 2013 enrollments of Statewide CHIP and Milwaukee CHIP interns:

Cornell University (1)

Carroll University (2)

Lawrence University (1)

Marian University (1)

Marquette University (4)

Medical College of Wisconsin (2)

Mount Mary College (2)

St. Cloud State University (1)

Tulane University (1)

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (1)

University of Rochester (1)

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire (4)

University of Wisconsin – Green Bay (4)

University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (6)

University of Wisconsin – Madison (25)

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (7)

University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh (5)

University of Wisconsin– Parkside (1)

University of Wisconsin - Platteville (3)

University of Wisconsin - River Falls (1)

University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (4)

University of Wisconsin – Stout (2)

University of Wisconsin – Whitewater (1)

Wisconsin Luthern College (1)

Participating Sites Comments from Mentors

“CHIP program did an

outstanding job matching

our needs with the intern’s

skills and interests.”

“The intern we worked with

was incredibly motivated

and even started to find

tasks to do (rather than

waiting to be assigned),

which was great! It was

really wonderful to have

some help on special

programs. Without the

CHIP program, we wouldn’t

have been able to develop

such great materials to

reach out to our Spanish-

speaking community.”

“The quality of the interns I

have been matched with

over the years have always

been exceptional.”

“The placement worked well.

The intern was very

interested and always

willing to learn. The quality

of work done by the intern

was also very impressive.”

“We love having an intern!

Overall, it’s a great

experience...we get some

work completed that may

not have been done before,

and the intern is able to get

some real life work

experience.”

Statewide CHIP sitesAshland County Health DepartmentBarron County Dept. of Health & Human ServicesBayfield County Health DepartmentBrown County Environmental Health DivisionBuffalo County Health DepartmentChippewa County Health DepartmentClark County Health DepartmentCovering Kids & Families - Dane CountyDodge County Human Services and Health Dept.Eau Claire City-County Health DepartmentFamily Center -- Wood CountyFamily Health/ La Clinica - Waushara CountyFond du Lac County Health DepartmentFond du Lac School District/Drug Free Communi-

ties of Fond du Lac CountyForest County Health DepartmentFox Valley End-of-Life Care Coalition - Outagamie Cty.Fox Valley Memory Project - Outagamie CountyGrant County Health DepartmentGreat Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center -

Vilas County (staff pictured below)

Green Bay Area Public Schools Food Service Department - Brown County

Green Lake County Health DepartmentIron County UW-ExtensionJackson County Public Health DepartmentLa Crosse County Health DepartmentLakeshore Community Health Centers - Sheboygan CtyLanglade County Health DepartmentLincoln County Health DepartmentLive54218 - Brown CountyMarshfield Clinic Research Foundation - Wood CtyMonroe County Health DepartmentOneida County Health DepartmentOzaukee County Public Health DepartmentPepin County Health Department

Polk County Health DepartmentPublic Health Madison & Dane CountyPublic Health Madison & Dane County - Enviro.Red Cliff Community Health Center - Bayfield CtyRusk County Health DepartmentSawyer County Health and Human ServicesScenic Bluffs Community Health Center - Monroe Cty

Shawano-Menominee Counties Health DepartmentSheboygan County Division of Public HealthSt. Croix County Public Health DepartmentTrempealeau County Health DepartmentWatertown Department of Public HealthWaushara County Health Department West CAP, Inc. - Dunn CountyWinnebago County Health DepartmentWisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health - Dane CtyWood County Health DepartmentWorking for Whitewater’s Wellness - Jefferson/Wal-

worth Counties

Milwaukee CHIP sitesAurora Sinai Medical CenterAurora UW Medical Group at ASMCAurora Walker’s Point Community ClinicBread of Healing Clinic at Cross Lutheran ChurchCenter for Urban Population HealthCentral Racine County Health DepartmentCity of Milwaukee Health DepartmentCommunity AdvocatesGreenfield Health DepartmentMCW Institute for Health and SocietyMedical College of Wisconsin Global Health

ProgramMilwaukee Area Health Education CenterMilwaukee Health Services, Inc.Racine Health Department, LaboratoryUWM College of NursingUWM College of Nursing, House of Peace Com-

munity Nursing Center Wauwatosa Health Department

CHIP 2013 Report • Page 3

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Summer 2013 Topics

Childbearing, Breastfeeding, and WIC (Women, Infant, and Children program)

Alexandria Berg (Barron County)Dominic Dharam (Buffalo County)Kelsey Scherer (Shawano-Menominee

Counties)

Environmental Health

Jessica Duma (Ashland County)Shannon Johnson (Bayfield County)Zachary Brylski (Brown County)Ashley Wolf (La Crosse County)Heather Smaby (Madison/Dane County)Abby Kohlenberg (Madison/Dane County)Siobhan Kelley (Ozaukee County)Lara Rubinyi (Pepin County) Alayna Spengler (St. Croix County)

Assessments: Community, Quality, and Accreditation

Brett Carr (Clark County)Lena Swander (Dodge County)Isaac Pierre (Vilas County)Tyler Grunow (Jackson County)Tara Lamb (Monroe County)Pa Chang (Sheboygan County)Elizabeth Jacobs (Sheboygan County)Bryan Nothem (Watertown)

Health and Wellness

Kelsey Sweeney (Family Health/Waushara)Kim Schwarzkopf (Fond du Lac Schools)Emily Ryan (Forest County)Joseph Mueller (Grant County)Victoria Shereshevsky (Green Lake County)Shruthi Murali (Iron County UW-Extension)Steve Lisser (Oneida County)Chelsey Turner (Polk County)Rebecca Kemnitz (Red Cliff/Bayfield County)Megan Hofmann (Rusk County)Lisa Ruff (Sawyer County)Joanna Tess (WI Alliance Womens Health/

Dane County)Nathan Larson (Jefferson/Walworth)

Policy, Research, and Evidence-BasedEmily Leung (Affordable Care Act; Covering

Kids and Families - Dane County)Taylor Waterstradt and Elizabeth Wildenberg

(Fox Valley Memory - Outagamie County)Nikki Klucas (Marshfield Clinic Research)Brenna Redemann (Scenic Bluffs CHC -

Monroe County)Ashley Rome (Watertown)

Community Building: Coalition and Strategic Planning

Hannah Imhoff (Chippewa County)Molie Meagher (Eau Claire City/County)Emily Young (Fond du Lac County)Ryan Goggins (Fox Valley End-of-Life;

Outagamie County)Sue Lee (Lakeshore CHC - Sheboygan Cty)Victoria Strutz (Langlade County)Nathan Watson (Madison/Dane County) Sarah Trentadue (Trempealeau County)Rachel Umhoefer (Waushara County)Kamariah Bailey (Winnebago County)

Obesity Prevention, Nutrition, and Physical ActivityNic Werbeckes (Family Center - Wood Cty)Brittany Shaw (Green Bay Schools - Brown

County)Emily Klimmek (La Crosse County)Caitlin Baker (Lincoln County)Olivia Ramoino (Live 54218 - Brown Cty)Allison Freeman (West CAP - Dunn Cty)Kaitlin Wollack (Wood County)

UW-OSHKOSH SITES:Environmental Health

Dane CountyDoor CountyManitowoc CountyVilas County

Projects cover themes spanning all areas of public and community health that address cur-rent needs and priori-ties of the local site. Students are matched to the projects and sites based on their skills and academic interests, as well as their preference for location.

STATEWIDE

CHIP 2013 Report • Page 5

Orientation Day (Statewide) Friday, May 31, 2013 UW-Madison campus

Interns and mentors were invited for this day-long session.

Agenda topics included:• Local Public Health Panel• County Health Rankings• Advocacy and Leadership• Identities Awareness• Mentoring Relationships• InformedCaring.org• CHIP 2012 Experiences• Poverty Simulation – presented by the state public defender’s office.

Learn @ UW(Statewide)

Throughout the summer, Wisconsin AHEC provides online instruction about community health principles and practice. CHIP interns participated remotely from their sites. 2013 activities included:• Webinars - Policy and Social Determinants of Health - Environmental Health• Letter to a Legislator• Informational Interview• Final Presentations• Reflections

Weekly Seminars (Milwaukee CHIP)

Milwaukee interns attended community health oriented presentations, at a weekly meeting, including:• Poverty and Health• Dental Health needs• Cultural and health beliefs of Hmong• Domestic Violence• Epidemiology• Challenges of public health• Alternative health services

MILWAUKEE CHIP

Curriculum

Eric Banik, “Community Outreach Around Implementing the Affordable Care Act” Community Advocates

Ciara Beckers, “Assessing Statistics of Health (ASH) at a Free Clinic: Bread of Healing Clinic at Florist Avenue Lutheran Church” Bread of Healing Clinic at Cross Lutheran Church

Cali Bemis, “Integrating Health Education and Community Health Assessment Activities” Greenfield Health Department

Cynthia Castillo, “Community Mental Health Improvement Project” Aurora Walker’s Point Community Clinic

Chen Cui, “Population Health Improvement for Patients and Employees with Diabetes” MCW Institute for Health and Society

Laura Eirich, “Eastbrook / Agape Liaison Manager (ELM): Bread of Healing Clinics” Bread of Healing Clinic at Cross Lutheran Church

Cynthia Henderson, “Clinical Approach to Non-Responsive Pneumonia Diagnosis in the Primary Care Office: A Retrospective Feasibility Study” Center for Urban Population Health

Bao Her, “Milwaukee Health Department Wellness Committee / WIC” City of Milwaukee Health Department

Mauly Her, “Advancing Community Understanding of Adolescent Reproductive Health Issues Through PREP Talk” City of Milwaukee Health Department

Dana Iverson, “Implementation of Mitigation Strategies at Sanitary Survey Evaluated Beaches in SE WI (Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha Counties)” Racine Health Department, Lab

Christian Jones, “Water Quality Monitoring in the Pike River Watershed (Racine and Kenosha Counties)” Racine Health Department, Lab

Nayab Khan, “Community Clinic Mission Sustainability Project”Aurora Walker’s Point Community Clinic

Olivia Knier, “Organizing and Koordinating (OAK) a Free Clinic: Bread of Healing Clinic at Cross Lutheran Church” Bread of Healing Clinic at Cross Lutheran Church

Jody Lemmer, “Advancing Health Equity Through Global Health Partnerships” Medical College of Wisconsin Global Health Program

Brian Lloyd, “Public Health Strategic Communications for Emergency Preparedness” City of Milwaukee Health Department

Rachel Ludke, “Medical Specialty Access Improvement Project” Aurora Walker’s Point Community Clinic

Jamie Moon, “Facilitating Service Access to Hispanic Families in an Urban WIC Clinic” Central Racine County Health Department

Hillary McLaren, “Milwaukee AHEC Youth Health Service Corps (YHSC) Program Evaluation” Milwaukee Area Health Education Center

Melissa H Neal, “Breastfeeding Survey in an Urban Community” Wauwatosa Health Dept.Matthew Reel, “UWM House of Peace Community Nursing Center Loan and Gift Closet for

Breast Cancer Survivors” UWM College of Nursing, House of Peace Community Nursing Ctr.Aaron Roeseler, “Clinic Workflow Standardization to Improve Patient Experience” Aurora

UW Medical Group at ASMCBrenna Smith, “Community Assessment to Improve Operation of a Regulatory Food

Inspection Program” City of Milwaukee Health DepartmentCatherine Vu, “Environmental Assessment of the Midwifery and Wellness Center” Aurora

Sinai Medical CenterDanielle Washington, “Preventing Recurrent Sexually Transmitted Infections” City of

Milwaukee Health DepartmentLeslie Weiss, “Chronic Disease Management Program Assistant” Milwaukee Health Services, Inc.Chee Xiong, “Health Promotion in the Hmong Community” UWM College of NursingCaitlin Zuehlke, “Introducing Milwaukee Fatherhood Agencies to Child Development

Screeing Standards” City of Milwaukee Health Department

After exposure to dental care for underserved and low-income indi-viduals during my CHIP experience, my eyes have been opened to the importance of improving dental access in our nation. This experience has influenced the type of practice and patient population I would like to engage in and care for as I pursue a career in dentistry.

— Nikki Klucas, Marshfield Clinic / Dental Informatics

This internship is the backstage pass of public health. Behind the scenes may not be exactly as you expect, but there is certainly more for you to learn than you can anticipate. An illuminating internship that facilitates professional experience and connections, Wisconsin AHEC delivered on a rewarding couple of months.

— Nic Werbeckes, Family Center / Wood County

Fantastic internship which helped me gain some great experience in the Public Health field. The people, atmosphere and knowledge I gained is intangible, and I am so glad I got to experience it all!

— Victoria Strutz, Langlade County intern Pictured (center) with health department staff at her host site

Mandy MeloyStatewide CHIP Coordinator, 2010-2013Her passion for public health and eagerness to make connections across the state of Wisconsin helped Mandy successfully oversee the statewide internship program during her four summers at the helm. She recently began a new adventure as a middle school teacher / librarian in the Madison Metropolitan School District.Mandy’s successor is Courtney Saxler, WI AHEC Program Office.

Virginia ThomasMilwaukee CHIP Coordinator, 2001-2013During her 13-year tenure, Virginia demonstrated an unwavering commitment to student development and the transformative effect of educational opportunities. Virginia’s leadership and vision will be greatly missed and we wish her all the best in her retirement.Virginia’s successor is Melanie Berg, Milwaukee AHEC.

Page 6 • CHIP 2013 Report

Wisconsin AHECImproving access to quality health care

through development of community-basedhealth professions

training programs and enhancement of

community health education resources

throughout Wisconsin.

AHEC Program OfficeHealth Sci. Learning Ctr.

750 Highland Ave. Madison, WI 53705

(608) 263-1712www.ahec.wisc.edu

Nancy A. Sugden Asst. Dean, UW School of

Medicine and Public Health; Director, Wisconsin AHEC

Keri RobbinsCommunications

Statewide CHIP ProgramCourtney Saxler

Milwaukee CHIP ProgramMelanie Berg

Environmental Intern Program - UW-OshkoshGregory T. Kleinheinz

Associate Dean, College of Letters and Science,

UW-Oshkosh

Inquiries regarding CHIP may be emailed to:

internships@ahec.wisc.edu

Further info & application: wisc-ahec.typepad.com/chip

2014 CHIPJune 2 - July 25

Site proposals due: December 2, 2013

Student applications due: February 24, 2014

Impact (Comments from summer 2013 CHIP interns)

Staff Transitions