Author: WisContext

Air pollution levels vary quite broadly across Wisconsin, but they follow a clear geographic trend: particulate counts in the southeastern corner of the state are close to double those along its northern border. Population density and accompanying automobile traffic and industry in the Milwaukee and Chicago regions contribute to this difference, which is a distinct example of how geography is a factor in health. However, most other determinants of health in Wisconsin do not follow a pattern quite so clear this one. Among nearly three dozen factors that influence health, some places in Wisconsin are doing better than others....

Wisconsin’s cultural landscape is awash in alcohol. The state is a delight for lovers of beer both craft and macro, wine drinkers are increasingly able to imbibe local vintages, and distilleries are making more locally-produced liquor. From stadium tailgating and roadside supper clubs to backyard barbecues and underage partying, many of the state’s beloved institutions and entrenched pastimes would not be what they are without an abundant flow of alcohol. Wisconsin is also home to more binge drinkers on average than most states, and every month nearly 2,000 arrests are made in the state for intoxicated driving. That number...

Over the past few decades, a culture developed that seemed to place a higher value on bureaucratic outcomes of health care than on fostering positive human connections. The effort to make a sweeping shift in the practice of behavioral health has come to be known as trauma-informed care. Put simply, trauma-informed care is a concept and practice used in professions ranging from child welfare to criminal justice that is grounded in behavioral science and recognizes that traumatic experiences can powerfully shape an individual’s behavior for years or even decades. A NEW APPROACH TO HUMAN SERVICES TAKES HOLD Health and...

To assist the explanation, this infographic details the relationships between Wisconsin, the United States, Taiwan and China, as well as Foxconn, Gou, and Trump. To assist the explanation, this infographic details the relationships between Wisconsin, the United States, Taiwan and China, as well as Foxconn, Gou, and Trump. China’s relationship with Taiwan Taiwan was annexed by China’s Qing dynasty in 1683, but it lost control of the island to Japan in 1895. It was part of the Japanese colonial empire until that country’s defeat in World War II. The Republic of China took over after the war, but when...

The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, thanks to a sustained public health effort built around near universal use of a safe and effective vaccine. But less than two decades later, measles is back, and at a level not seen for a quarter-century, meaning a generation of healthcare workers have little experience with the disease. Measles is re-emerging as a public health threat thanks in part to a worldwide surge in the disease, as well as sustained concerns that vaccines are unsafe or unnecessary. These fears, including those rooted in falsified and debunked research, have propelled a rise...

The same aspects of rural life that are attractive to many Wisconsinites — solitude, space, smaller communities — can often make getting the health care they need a challenge that ranges from mere inconvenience to life-threatening. Long distances between medical facilities and the people they serve, as well as struggles to attract and retain healthcare professionals in rural areas, are stark manifestations of this quandary. Four broad obstacles help define the difficulty of accessing rural healthcare. UW-Madison faculty and health professionals based in rural Wisconsin described these barriers in the documentary. Recruiting and keeping rural doctors and nurses A...