The city of Eau Claire has been chosen to receive a $60,000 Invest Health grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Reinvestment Fund to address poverty and improve long-term health. Eau Claire is the only city in Wisconsin to receive this grant and one of only 50 nationwide.
Invest Health is an initiative aimed at transforming how city leaders work together to help low-income communities thrive, with specific attention to community features that drive health such as access to safe and affordable housing, places to play and exercise, and quality jobs.
The Eau Claire City Invest Health Team includes, Dale Peters: city manager, city of Eau Claire, Mike Rindo: assistant chancellor, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Keith Jonathan: housing Director, Eau Claire Housing Authority, Bruce King: government affairs director, REALTORS Association of Northwestern Wisconsin, and Elizabeth Giese: health director Claire City-County Health Department.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WIs.) said “I am very proud that Eau Claire was selected for the Invest Health grant to address health disparities related to housing, specifically for those who are living in poverty. This investment will help strengthen public-private partnerships, address poverty, and improve the quality of life for many in the Eau Claire community.”
The Eau Claire team plans to unite efforts that deal with housing development in Eau Claire to create a vision and prioritize addressing health disparities for future development projects. Each team member brings a unique professional network, which will be utilized to engage developers, policy makers and the community as a whole.