Health & Well-Being Institute Focus Areas
Healthy Food Access
Our programs help individuals access healthy, affordable foods.
Health Insurance and Care
Our programs help individuals get access to and support for health care and coverage.
Physical Activity
Our programs help people of all ages to live stronger, healthier lives by providing knowledge, inspiration, and ongoing support.
Mental Well-Being
Our programs teach skills to help individuals manage stress, practice mindfulness and access mental health resources.
Community Health
Our programs connect partners and communities with resources and support to address needs and strengthen communities.
Drug and Alcohol Use Prevention and Recovery
Our programs help individuals, employers, and multi-state partners address substance use disorders and support recovery.
About the Health and Well-Being Institute
We support healthier lives by working with and for the people, communities, and Tribal nations of Wisconsin to build relationships, facilitate learning, and pursue data-informed and culturally-based strategies.
Imagine a Wisconsin where every community thrives, supported by access to the research, resources and programming of the University of Wisconsin. That’s the Wisconsin Idea, embodied in the Health & Well-Being Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.
We work with community partners to catalyze positive change in Wisconsin communities through evidence-informed programs to promote health and well-being. Rooted in both urban and rural communities, we’re working together to help solve the state’s most pressing well-being needs and to ensure that all Wisconsinites have the opportunity to live stronger, healthier lives.
Healthy People
We provide community-based education to increase knowledge, skills, and confidence in health promoting activities.
Healthy Communities
We partner with community-based organizations to identify needs, strengths and solutions that go beyond the individual to address organizational and community factors that influence health.
Engaging Messages
We use principles of health communications and marketing to share well-being messages with individuals and communities to shift cultural norms and perceptions.
Program Areas
Impact
We reach
164k+
Wisconsin individuals each year
Success Stories
The Year of Mental Health
The Behavioral Health Program delivered evidence-based mental health programs to equip community members with the skills needed to recognize and respond to signs of mental health issues.
Deliberative Dialogue Project: Achieving a Healthy Community for All
Extension partnered with public health organizations statewide and held six deliberative dialogue sessions in three Wisconsin counties. These dialogues were facilitated using an issue guide the group created around what makes communities healthy — without using polarizing language.
Harvest of the Moon: Revitalizing traditional Menominee food knowledge and healthy eating habits in youth
The Kemāmaceqtaq (“We’re All Moving”) team of Extension Menominee County/Nation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked with language and culture keepers and community artists to create a unique curriculum anchored in Menominee knowledge of the 13 moons and their associated Indigenous food practices.
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