Cudahy Health Department awards community partners for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic may be fading from front-of-mind status for many, but a Milwaukee-area health department is making sure those who helped negotiate it get the recognition they deserve.
The Cudahy Health Department recently honored those who partnered with the health department and the Healthiest Cudahy Collaboration ― a group of community stakeholders ― to address community needs over the tumultuous last three years with the first-ever Outstanding Public Health Partner awards.
“This award stemmed from reflection at the Cudahy Health Department as we planned for a transition to the recovery stage of the pandemic,” Cudahy Health Officer Heather Puente said in a statement.
Five individuals and one business partner were recognized; the awards were distributed in early April during National Public Health Week. Here's a closer look at the winners:
Amanda De Leon of Community Medical Services
Amanda De Leon, the community programs and integration manager at Community Medical Services said she loves her job and wants to “help the community become healthier.”
De Leon said she thought giving out awards was an amazing idea and when she got an email from Puente that she was getting one of the plaques she was shocked.
“Oh my God, are you kidding me?” De Leon said.
Puente said the award was for De Leon’s work “advocating and ensuring our community has education, resources and support to tackle substance use disorders through a health equity lens.”
Community Medical Services is a medication-assisted treatment center that helps people struggling with opiates. There are local offices in West Allis and South Milwaukee with two more planned ― one on Milwaukee’s north side and a second on the south side of Milwaukee. De Leon said these areas were selected due to higher levels of overdose deaths.
Visitors get medication and counseling and De Leon said she and her coworkers are “evangelists in the community” to help those who need it and reduce the stigma of treatment.
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De Leon, a St. Francis resident, said Cudahy’s health department just started a quick overdose response team where representatives respond to non-fatal overdoses. She makes herself available to help when needed conducting talks, Narcan training and more.
“I think partially the reason I won the award is I’m there when they need it,” De Leon said of the Cudahy Health Department. “(Community Medical Services) make ourselves available to support them in whatever initiatives they have. I don’t do this for the award, it’s what needs to get done.”
The West Allis clinic, which opened in 2019, was the first 24/7 on-demand opioid treatment program in Wisconsin, De Leon said. While it’s not 24/7 anymore, people must come in every day for treatment and maintain their treatment plan goals. Only then they’re only allowed one take-home dose of methadone every 90 days.
“This is how committed these folks are to recovery,” De Leon said.
Visit www.communitymedicalservices.org for more information.
Patrick Higgins of Project Concern
Puente said Patrick Higgins, director at the Cudahy-St. Francis Project Concern, has a “strong devotion and endless appetite to ensuring the basic needs of food, clothing and essential resources are provided to all community members.”
Higgins said “it’s humbling” to be selected and he guessed he was chosen “because my group was a really big player in the whole COVID issue.” Project Concern helped to deliver food to those who needed it during the pandemic lockdowns.
“It meant a lot to me, it was totally unexpected,” he said of the award. “To be able to partner with the health department, especially as a food pantry and clothing bank, is critical to get the message out.”
As part of that collaboration, Higgins said the health department comes to Project Concern multiple times a year and sets up a table offering flu clinics, blood pressure checks and other heath outreach activities.
“Cudahy should be proud they have such a high-efficiency health department,” Higgins said.
In June, the two organizations are collaborating for an event called One More Time Around where participants can walk laps on the Cudahy High School track. Walkers can get people to pledge a certain amount per lap that will benefit the Project Concern food pantry.
Anyone who lives in Cudahy or St. Francis who qualifies income-wise can go to Project Concern for free help. The facility is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday evening from 3 to 6 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. Visit www.projectconcerncudahy.org for more information.
Tina Kreitlow of the Cudahy Recreation Department
The director of the Cudahy Recreation Department was recognized for “phenomenal commitment to providing community togetherness through physical and social connections,” Puente said.
“That was very kind of them,” said Tina Kreitlow, director of athletics and recreation. “I am very appreciative of their kind thoughts.”
Kreitlow said when the email from Puente arrived she was “honored and surprised.” She said to be successful, organizations need community support and part of that work is with health department and their community initiatives.
“Promoting one another helps for a healthier community,” she said.
One of the initiatives included the Cudahy Luminary Walk, an event that was a direct response to COVID-19 lockdowns designed for people who were feeling isolated indoors.
“We had our students in the school district create luminary bags with designs and encouraging phrases around mental health and wellness,” she said. “It was fantastic, we could not believe the turnout that first year on a less than desirable evening in the middle of winter.”
Kreitlow said Cudahy School District Superintendent Tina Owen-Moore has been “very supportive of the partnership." She also wanted to recognize Jenny Shohoney, director of student services, who “plays a huge piece of connecting the school district with the city on the mental health of students.”
Lastly, Kreitlow said there’s a newer partnership with Dr. Heather Sattler, restorative practices coordinator, to help students participate in restorative practices ― a social science designed to help improve relationships between people.
Tiprint in Cudahy
Tiprint Owner Tom Zielinski said “it was very nice” the Cudahy Health Department thought of his company.
“They’re super people over there and whatever we can help them with we will,” he said.
Puente said Tiprint went “above and beyond to consistently provide fast and quality services to ensure the community receives important public health information and the tools necessary for public health outreach.”
For example, Tiprint staff have stayed late to get printing done for the health department if there’s a tight deadline ― at times even with a 24-hour turnaround, Zielinski said.
“We just try and help with the printing as fast as they need it when they need it,” he said.
Other winners were Ann Brooks and Marieda Madsen
Ann Brooks, a registered nurse at Froedtert, and Marieda Madsen, human resources business partner at Milwaukee Composites, also received awards.
Puente said Brooks was “continuously and exceptionally providing inclusive and supportive care to patients," while Madsen was “striving to ensure the health and safety of her facility through the pandemic by adhering to best practices."
Puente highlighted how partnerships like these are necessary and said the plan is to continue giving out the awards. “Public health departments cannot achieve our mission to ensure conditions in which all people can be healthy and thrive without partners who share our commitment to advancing health and health equity,” she said. “The Cudahy Health Department looks forward to continued and new collaborations with community partners and intends to recognize those partnerships in future years through the Outstanding Public Health Partner Awards.”
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like/follow his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on Twitter @ES_Hanley.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: They helped Cudahy during COVID-19. Now they're getting recognized.
