The Journey has started…
Our mission is to serve as a Community Health and Wellness Advocate for YOU, our valued citizens of the Greater Chippewa Valley! We must bring community leaders and stakeholder groups together to find Win-Win solutions that attack the root causes of chronic disease and begin reducing health care costs by dramatically improving the quality of lifestyle choices within our community environments.
The Challenges We Face
Health care costs are growing at an alarming rate. And it’s bankrupting us!
Health insurance premiums have been growing at double digit rates! Health care costs are a major factor in our rapidly expanding Federal deficits. 30% of American work another job just to pay for health insurance. Over 63% of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. Shockingly, 70% of those affected had health insurance.
Our government policies have failed us… The healthy choice is no longer the easy choice.
America is plagued with Chronic Disease. Of the $5 trillion dollars we spend annually on healthcare, 75-80% could be eliminated by simply empowering and incentivizing our people to make healthier lifestyle choices. We spend twice as much on healthcare per person than other advanced nations, and yet are getting far worse health outcomes.
Poor food delivery systems have created unhealthy Americans.
The United States has the highest obesity rate in the world at 42% and it’s getting worse. A whopping 68% of our citizens are overweight. 77% of our military aged youth can’t pass an armed services physical. We have record child obesity. And the poor and disadvantaged are impacted the most.
Build health and wellness into the flow of community life. Make the healthy choice the easy choice – starting now
The Solution
12 Big Ideas for a Shared Community Vision
These initiatives form the framework for a unified community vision. Our Dream – Lead the Nation in a health and wellness renaissance. Today, an estimated 75–80% of our nation’s $5 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures stem from chronic disease—largely driven by poor lifestyle choices. We must confront chronic disease at its source, empowering our community members to foster healthier lives and reduce the burden of preventable disease through grassroots efforts.
Unite community leaders and stakeholders across the Chippewa Valley to identify shared health challenges and create “True Wellness.”
Community Health Advocacy
Shared Community Vision
Build health and wellness into the flow of life for all Greater Chippewa Valley citizens to reduce chronic disease.
Whole-Person Wellness
Advance health through the 7 Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine and define what it truly means to be a healthy person.
Community Biometric Database
Develop a comprehensive system to track health outcomes and measure progress across the community.
Influential Social Organizations
Empower individual citizens with the knowledge and support to make healthy lifestyle choices and improve health outcomes.
Supportive Living Environments
Design community initiatives that make the healthy choice the easy choice, inspired by Blue Zones principles.
Promote access to nutritious options by connecting regenerative agriculture to local food systems.
Healthy Food Pathways
Transparent Healthcare Pricing
Use local health care purchasing power to create win-win pricing models for both health care providers and community members
Optimized Care Delivery
Strengthen community healthcare delivery systems to ensure accessibility, efficiency, and better outcomes.
Educational System Alignment
Integrate health and wellness education into our schools, aligning curriculum and culture to support lifelong wellbeing.
Grassroots Political Support
Consistent, open communication with our elected representatives on community health and wellness outcomes.
Community Wellness Nudging
Use strategic, ongoing communications to create new social norms that embed health and wellness into our culture.
Community Resources
Our community has the tools, talent, and desire to take on Chronic Disease and help our citizens live longer, happier, more fulfilling lives.
Forward-thinking business leaders.
World-class healthcare.
New Community Hospital CVHC.org
Healthcare innovation research at UW–Eau Claire.
A growing interest in regenerative farming.
A strong faith-based network.
We’re not waiting for top-down change. We’re building a grassroots movement—right here, together.
EMPOWER
Let’s start with a community vision.
Build health and wellness into the flow of community life!
We’ll chart a path forward, using 7 Pillars of Lifestyle medicine as a model to promote whole person care.
We’ll educate through influential social organizations, and build a digital home base packed with tools, stories, and local resources.
We’ll launch an annual community Health and Wellness Convention at the Sonnentag Center — to learn, grow, and unite.
PIONEER
We’ll break new ground by helping people make real, lasting lifestyle changes.
We’ll build a community biomarker database to measure progress and accountability.
We’ll help mobilize community resources to build the innovative new Independent Community Hospital.
We’ll work with local, state, and national officials to design healthy environments that support real change.
And we’ll build a new healthcare delivery model — from the ground up — with willing participants at the table.
INSPIRE
This is more than a plan — it’s a movement.
We’ll rally the community to collaborate, innovate, and take ownership of health outcomes.
With smart marketing and social media, we’ll keep health and wellness top of mind all year long.
We’ll track our progress, share it openly, and celebrate the wins — big and small.
And we’ll back it all with peer-reviewed studies, proving what’s possible when a community comes together.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead
