Service and Resource Sharing: Examples
Service and resource sharing in Wisconsin can look very different from one local health department to the next. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach with service and resource-sharing partnerships.
Oftentimes, creativity and out of the box thinking can be beneficial. The following are several examples of service and resource sharing partnerships across Wisconsin ranging in their geographic location, size of local health department staff and partners involved, services provided, and degree of complexity.
These examples have been approved by the involved partners.
The Hmong and Hispanic Communication Network (H2N) was developed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group focuses on serving members of Hmong and Hispanic communities in their preferred languages and in trusted community settings through a network of community health workers and community coordinators. Collaborating members of this network include the parent organization (the Hmong American Center), federally qualified health centers and clinics, as well as Marathon, Portage, Taylor, and Wood County Health Departments.
- Jefferson County Environmental Public Health Consortium: This partnership has existed and been maintained since the 1990s. Housed in the city of Watertown, this consortium provides comprehensive environmental health (EH) services to residents within the city of Watertown and Jefferson County. They also provide well water testing for Dodge County. By sharing one EH program, the jurisdictions can support staff and services by splitting costs.
- Southwest Environmental Health Consortium: This partnership existed in some form for over 20 years and was sunset in 2025. Members shared an environmental health specialist and pooled resources for human health hazard follow-up and radon and lead monitoring. Despite the pooled resources, the consortium allowed for tailored activities to meet the unique needs of each jurisdiction. Staff capacity was always the limiting factor for what this consortium could accomplish, but it remained a successful partnership for decades.
- South Milwaukee-St. Francis Health Department Environmental Health Consortium: Established in 2002, the South Milwaukee-St. Francis Health Department is the lead fiscal agency for an Environmental Health Consortium with the cities of Cudahy, South Milwaukee, and St. Francis. The Environmental Health Consortium employs one program assistant and two environmental health specialists. The main role of the program is to license and inspect local establishments as an agent of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
- Northwoods Preparedness Collaborative: This group formed to organize essential expertise to prepare for and respond to public health incidents, including infectious disease outbreaks and other threats. This regional partnership shared staff employed by Marathon County, who also oversaw the financial obligations of the coalition. Member agencies included Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Marathon, Marinette, Price, Sawyer, Taylor, and Vilas Counties. Members agreed to contribute 25% of their agency allocation for public health emergency preparedness to the Collaborative, which in turn provided technical assistance to member agencies to strengthen local capacity and ensure emergency preparedness.
- Western Wisconsin Public Health Readiness Consortium (WWPHRC): This is a collaborative network of 21 local and two Tribal health departments, based out of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department. WWPHRC works to strengthen local capacity to respond to all types of health emergencies, including bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, and natural disasters. This is accomplished through workforce development, program management assistance, inter-agency collaboration, coordinated training and exercises, shared emergency response plans, and streamlined communication across jurisdictions. It’s funded through public health emergency preparedness funds, with each member contributing a percentage of their allocation. Over the last seven years, WWPHRC has more than doubled in size, reflecting the benefit of this shared services model in the region. While this growth has challenged the consortium's capacity, its success is sustained by strong support from local and Tribal health departments and a commitment to transparent, consistent communication among members.
In 2008, the City of Madison Health Department and Dane County Division of Public Health merged to form Public Health Madison-Dane County (PHMDC).
The merger resulted in significant cost savings, accessibility improvements, and increased staff capacity. The merger enabled PHMDC staff to meet the varying needs of the many communities within Dane county through more equitable distribution of foundational services.
Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, and Marathon Counties leveraged a national, evidence-based model, called Nurse-Family Partnership, to provide support for pregnant women and their children from pregnancy through age two with home visitation and education.
This program is funded through a combination of grants and tax levy from participating jurisdictions. The NFP program is adaptable to fit the structure and needs of each local health department while maintaining model fidelity and access to a national network of resources.