Milwaukee (September 9, 2010) - The Wisconsin Hospital Association Foundation 2010 Global Vision Community Partnership Award was recently presented to the Wheaton Franciscan – St. Joseph Women’s Outpatient Center for addressing disparities in health care by providing OB/GYN services to low-income women. This annual competitive grant award is presented to a community health initiative that successfully addresses a documented community health need.

WHA Foundation Director Jennifer Frank said the Women’s Outpatient Center program is a good example of the kind of projects that hospitals sponsor, which are designed to improve the overall health status of their communities.

“We are honored to have been chosen for this award and are grateful for WHA’s support,” said Mary Mazul, Certified Nurse Midwife. “This kind of support allows us to continue caring for the most vulnerable women in our community and it allows us to raise awareness of the importance of community partnerships in providing comprehensive prenatal care; the type of care we feel at the Women’s Outpatient Center is necessary for improving outcomes.”

Projects submitted to the WHA Foundation for the Global Vision Award must be nominated by a WHA member hospital; demonstrate viable partnerships with community entities; utilize creative approaches to meet documented community health needs, and have been in operation for a minimum of two years. Award winners received a commemorative plaque and an unrestricted grant of $2,500 to support the program.
The Award, launched by the WHA Foundation, Inc. in 1995, seeks to recognize and support ongoing projects that support improving the community’s health.

The Women’s Outpatient Center (WOC), opened in 2003, is a multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to providing exceptional care to low-income women and infants. The WOC addresses disparities in health care by providing free OB/GYN services to low-income women, and providing a network of resources, giving patients access to social workers, language interpreters, financial counselors, dieticians and more. In fiscal year 2009, the WOC delivered over 400 babies. Of those, 99% were born with healthy birth-weights and only 7% of the newborns were placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In addition, 57% of pregnant patients initiated prenatal care in the first trimester, and 71% of African American patients began breastfeeding in the hospital, with 55% still breastfeeding at six weeks postpartum.

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Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare (WFH) is a Catholic, not-for-profit organization with more than 100 health and shelter organizations in Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, and Illinois. Started by the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters more than 125 years ago and formally incorporated in 1983, WFH has corporate services offices in Wheaton, Illinois and Glendale, Wisconsin.

In Southeast Wisconsin, WFH is co-sponsored by the Wheaton Franciscan and Felician Sisters and has nearly 11,000 associates, making it the second largest private employer in the area. Hospitals include All Saints in Racine County; Wheaton Franciscan - St. Joseph and The Wisconsin Heart Hospital Campuses, St. Francis, Franklin Hospital, and Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Milwaukee County; and Elmbrook Memorial in Waukesha County. The region also includes Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group with more than 350 physicians in more than 50 locations, a network of outpatient centers, three transitional and extended care facilities, Home Health, and Hospice.

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare is also affiliated with Affinity Healthcare in the Fox Valley and United Hospital System in Kenosha.