Bilingual Community-Based Chronic Care Institute

Project Description Narrative:

Chronic diseases account for about 70% of all deaths in the U.S., and 75% of all of the country’s health care costs. These conditions can result in prolonged disability, decreased quality of life, and large health care expenses.

Patients with social and economic difficulties face challenges that can limit their ability to manage their chronic conditions. Many patients of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center in Milwaukee with chronic conditions speak little or no English and live in poverty, making it challenging to navigate the health care system. And with limited outdoor exercise opportunities in their neighborhoods, that element of health management can be inaccessible.

This study aims to develop a new model of patient care and create tools that will foster and sustain behavioral change, by piloting comprehensive health services to chronic disease patients who typically have limited access to care.

Community partner: United Community Center