Our Vision

In Milwaukee County, we are taking an all-hands approach to realizing our vision that by achieving racial equity, Milwaukee is the healthiest county in Wisconsin. Together we will dismantle institutional racism in our organization and build up policies, practices and a culture that ensures race no longer predicts health outcomes, and outcomes for everyone improve.

Where We Have Been 

Over many decades, government policies and practices—some obvious, some hidden—have created an uneven playing field. These policies affected where people could live, work, get loans, and access services. Even when policies didn't explicitly mention race, they often had very different impacts on different communities. In 2019, Milwaukee became the first jurisdiction in the nation to declare racism a public health crisis. 

In that same year the County Health Rankings Report, which ranks the health of Counties, ranked Milwaukee County 71st out of 72 Counties in Wisconsin. Yet, the healthiest zip code in the state is within Milwaukee County. By centering racial equity in our approach to improve the health of Milwaukee County residents, we know we can do better.   

We have already made big strides in public health, using zip codes to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for underserved communities. Our Housing First approach has reduced the unsheltered population by 90% since 2016. We have also invested in new infrastructure like the Mental Health Emergency Center and a 9-mile regional Bus Rapid Transit line to support our communities. 

Learn more about why we believe racial equity is connected to the power to make change, in our Health & Equity Framework.