Public Health Nurse Consultants in the Division of Public Health
The Public Health Nurse (PHN) Consultants are a part of the Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services. We offer consultation and technical assistance in a defined geographic area or program area for the purpose of promoting and maintaining a strong public health infrastructure. This is accomplished through supportive relationships with local public health and tribal community health agencies, and other community partners.
Vision and mission
We share the vision and mission of all of Wisconsin's public health system partners as defined in the state's health plan.
Vision: "Everyone Living Their Best Life"
A healthy Wisconsin is a place where:
- All individuals reach their highest potential.
- Communities support the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and cultural needs of all people.
- People work together to create healthy, sustainable physical and social environments for their benefit and that of future generations.
Mission: "To assure conditions in which people can be healthy, and members of healthy, safe, and resilient families and communities."
The Healthiest Wisconsin 2020 process identified 23 focus areas to be addressed by public health system partners and Wisconsin communities over the decade from 2010 to 2020. These focus areas are listed and briefly described in the Healthiest Wisconsin 2020 document, and include two crosscutting focus areas, nine infrastructure focus areas, and 12 health focus areas.
The 23 focus areas of Healthiest Wisconsin 2020 encompass most of the important facets of health across the life span; this enables a broad cross-section of Wisconsin individuals and organizations to see themselves in the plan. Some focus on the infrastructure of the public health system (such as skilled workforce, stable funding, and partnership development). Others focus on more specific health issues (such as injury and violence, physical activity, and mental health). Two focus on the crosscutting issues of health disparities; and social, economic and educational factors that influence health.
Our partners
The primary partners of the PHN consultants are staff who provide public health services for a city, county or tribal government. This may include community health nurses, public health nurses, school nurses, jail nurses, staff from home visitation programs, tribal community health nurses, nursing school faculty, and staff from other state agencies. In addition, PHN consultants partner with other community partners who are dedicated to improving the health of communities through networking, collaborations, and coalitions.
Our activities
The PHN consultant is responsible for assuring that the specialty of public health nursing is appropriately integrated as a Core Function (PDF) in public health programs and services at the local, regional, and state level. This is accomplished through:
- Leadership to assure that nursing and public health nursing programs are in compliance with nursing and public health statutes and rules.
- Board of Nursing – Wis. Stat. ch. 441 (PDF)
- Public Health Nursing - Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 139
- Guidelines for Hiring Nurses at Health Departments (PDF)
- Provision of technical assistance and consultation to local health departments, tribal entities, and other community partners to assure best practices of public health nursing.
- Promotion of high-quality Public Health Nursing Competencies (PDF) through education and training.
- Development of resources critical to public health nurses' capacity to carry out the Essential Public Health Services.
Contact the PHN consultants
The PHN consultants are employed by the Division of Public Health at the Department of Health Services and work in five regions in Wisconsin and in the central office in Madison.