BOX 2-1Menominee Nation's Path to Health

The Menominee Nation in Menominee County, Wisconsin, faced increasing rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty, and low graduation rates when the tribe decided to confront its historical oppression and associated trauma. An RWJF Culture of Health prize-winning community, the Menominee Nation is applying a trauma-informed care model to provide social and behavioral health services to its residents.

Some of the policy and systemic changes in Menominee County include

  • A new grocery store close to the high school
  • Greenhouses, gardens, and orchards at schools
  • Enhancing physical education programs
  • Workplace wellness culture shifts
  • Community-led group activities centered around cultural practices
  • Installing sidewalks and streetlights

SOURCE: RWJF, 2015.

From: 2, The State of Health Disparities in the United States

Cover of Communities in Action
Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice; Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States; Baciu A, Negussie Y, Geller A, et al., editors.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2017 Jan 11.
Copyright 2017 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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