GREEN BAY – The Medical College of Wisconsin is turning its attention to hypertension, childhood behavioral health, and the well-being of the state’s health care workers.

At a news conference Thursday at Lambeau Field, the Medical College of Wisconsin announced it will be investing $50 million as part of the MCW’s Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment into the three areas to improve them statewide over the next five to 10 years.

The three health-related issues were determined to be priorities based on state data and 18 months of focus groups, surveys, and discussions with health care workers and community partners, said Jesse Ehrenfeld, director of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment.

Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin was established by MCW to steward funds from Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin. Since 2004, the endowment has invested $338 million into 643 projects statewide including the creation of the MCW Green Bay and Wausau campuses. La Crosse, Racine, Winnebago, Brown, and Marathon counties have the most projects of at least nine funded by AHW.

It’s unclear what activities or specific projects will be supported by the $50 million invested into the three areas, but the investment is meant to “move the needle” on improving residents’ health in the three areas and expands research, said Joseph Kerschner, MCW dean of the School of Medicine, provost and executive vice president.

High blood pressure

About 1.3 million Wisconsinites have hypertension, and about half of them don’t have it under control, according to data from the state Department of Health Services. About one in six people who have it don’t know they have high blood pressure.

Ehrenfeld said access to care and home blood pressure monitors is important to helping people lower their blood pressure.

Health workforce well-being

Health care workers in the state are still dealing with levels of burnout especially after the pandemic. The Wisconsin Hospital Association described the state’s health care workforce as “critical but stable” in its 2024 Health Care Workforce Report. In 2022, staffing vacancy rates in hospitals was 9.9%, according to the report.

With many workers heading to retirement, Ehrenfield said the endowment decided to prioritize reducing burnout and improving well-being at hospitals to improve the state’s physician shortage. Many health care workers don’t reach out for mental health or substance abuse support because they are afraid of being reprimanded by a medical board or losing their license, Ehrenfield said.

“We need to reduce that stigma,” he said. “They need to be well themselves to take care of others.

Childhood behavioral health

Over half of Wisconsin early care and education professionals reported an increase in challenging behaviors, according to a 2021 survey and are leading to childhood expulsions.

Ehrenfield said the funding will go toward creating more “support systems” around the state and continue the work of a previously AHW behavioral health project.

More: Family circles, robust resource databases, peer-support: what 8 years of mental health progress looks like

Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@gannett.com.