Grant will map nation's health, county by county

The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has received funding for a project to determine and rank the health of every county in the nation. Mobilize Action Toward Community Health, or MATCH, is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The overarching goal of this project is to close the gap between 'what we know' and 'what we do' to improve health and reduce disparities,” said Patrick Remington, director of the institute.

The concept for the project came from the institute’s six years of experience in the annual publication of Wisconsin County Health Rankings, a system that is employed by several states. "These rankings draw considerable attention around the state to the fact that a community’s health is determined by more than just its health care system. The rankings show that, in addition to health care, people’s health behaviors and the socioeconomic and physical environment all contribute to a community’s health." Read more here.