Happy New Year from Health First Wisconsin!

As we look ahead to a new year and a brand-new legislative session, Health First Wisconsin is excited about the challenges and opportunities that we face.

Like many of you, we have an ambitious agenda for 2013. Our New Year’s Resolution is simple: we resolve to continue our work to advocate for policies and changes that improve health where it starts – in our homes, workplaces, playgrounds, schools and parks.

In 2013, Health First Wisconsin aspires to make Wisconsin a place where the healthy choice is the easy choice. We are committed to making sure that every single person – from Kenosha to Platteville to Beloit to Superior to Marinette and everywhere in between – has an opportunity to achieve their best health.

We know that our challenges are tremendous – despite record-low youth smoking rates, tobacco still remains the leading preventable cause of death in Wisconsin. Our state is plagued by alcohol misuse and we have the highest rates of high-risk drinking in the nation. And we spend a reported $1.5 billion annually on obesity-related medical costs.

At Health First Wisconsin we don’t dwell on these statistics. Instead, we use these numbers to inform decision-makers and empower our work. Every single day, we are working hard to promote effective, common sense policy and environmental changes that will reduce the burden of commercial tobacco on our state, curb alcohol misuse, and make meaningful strides to combat obesity.

In 2013, Health First Wisconsin will:  

• Continue the fight against Big Tobacco by working to protect the state’s investment in comprehensive tobacco prevention and control efforts that help smokers quit and stop kids from using tobacco in the first place.
• Further protect youth from tobacco products by making sure that all tobacco products – especially the candy-flavored junk targeting our kids – are taxed fairly.
• Continue to support tribal communities in their efforts to go smoke-free and reduce commercial tobacco use.
• Work to curb alcohol misuse and change Wisconsin’s destructive alcohol culture by continuing to build a strong, statewide coalition on alcohol policy.
• Encourage Wisconsinites to change our permissive attitude toward underage drinking by eliminating loopholes in drinking age laws.
• Help communities reduce drunk driving by advocating for Wisconsin to join many other states in allowing local law enforcement to use sobriety checkpoints if needed.
• Expand our work to stem the rise of obesity in Wisconsin by promoting healthy food systems and physical activity.
• Support Farm to School programs that invest in the local economy and ensure our kids are eating healthy and can achieve academic success.
• Promote healthy and active communities starting at our schools and government buildings.

We have ambitious goals, but we are confident that with the help of our partners and supporters across the state, 2013 will be a banner year for the health of Wisconsin.

Together, we can move the dial on Wisconsin’s health and work to make our state the healthiest in the nation.

Stay tuned for more details and updates on our progress by checking back here, liking us on Facebook and signing up as a supporter. 

Wisconsin Leaders May Add To State’s Drinking Problems

There’s something going on in Wisconsin right now that you must know about…

Yesterday, Oct. 5^th, the proposed assembly and senate bills to make alcohol more available and accessible passed in Committee, which means it could be voted on any day now! These bills will change the opening hours of alcohol retailers. Assembly Bill-63/Senate Bill-44 will change alcohol retailers’ opening hours from 8am to 6am, permitting people to purchase alcohol two hours earlier than previously allowed. 

Nationwide studies show that increasing access to alcohol increases alcohol abuse. Wisconsin is already third in the nation for alcohol consumption and first in the nation in drunken driving. In 2009 alone, alcohol-related crashes killed 250 people and injured nearly 4,000 in Wisconsin (WI DOT). Alcohol is also one of the major contributors to chronic disease in our state – which is currently linked to two out of every three Wisconsin deaths annually, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. If our state leaders choose to adopt this bill, they are choosing the path to more risky drinking in our communities, costing us more money and lives.

Furthermore, if this bill is passed, it sends the message to our youth that the earlier you can begin consuming alcohol, the better.  It displays our tolerance for allowing people to get access to alcohol at almost any time of day, and it only opens up the door for more amendments that could eventually lead to 24-hour availability of alcohol. There is no reason to increase access to alcohol in our state. Not now, not ever.

We need our leaders to send the right message to our kids - we don’t need alcohol before breakfast, that there is a voice to be heard against Wisconsin’s alcohol abuse and our state’s culture of binging on beer and liquor will not be accepted.

Mifflin - Need I say more?

Flickr - MJKauz

If you live in Madison, it's hard to miss the recap of this past weekend's Mifflin event and the horrors that took place...

One shattered kneecap after a victim was hit with a baseball bat...
Two separate stabbings and at least two sexual assaults...
Three MPD officers injured...

The list, unfortunately, goes on and on. Mifflin was a disaster but good can come from it. Mifflin is the culmination of a growing alcohol abuse problem that plagues not only Madison, but Dane County and Wisconsin. It's time to step up and prevent risky and problem drinking and, fortunately, there are evidence-based strategies that we can pursue in order to do this.

To reduce alcohol abuse we have to reduce what those in the field call the "Four A's":
Making alcohol less Available, Attractive, misuse less Acceptable and less Affordable. Can you see where Mifflin went wrong?

Flickr - MVWorks

So where do we go from here? Well Mayor Soglin has a good idea in making changes to the conditional permit process so those applying for this permit, sometimes called a "picnic license" have to go before city officials who will make decisions to allow or not allow it. That is a great step in the right direction and we applaud Mayor Soglin for his efforts to address this issue.

What else can we do? Madison made the right move implementing an alcohol-outlet density ordinance in downtown a few years ago, but that very ordinance could potentially sunset if our city officials don't vote it through by July 5th. Alcohol-outlet density ordinances are evidence-based strategies to reduce violent crime in an area saturated by bars. Studies worldwide show that if you reduce the number of alcohol outlets...there's that A again (availability)... you will reduce violence and crime in that area. So we must protect the alcohol-outlet density ordinance, keep it strong and make it permanent.

The Dane County Coalition to Reduce Alcohol Abuse is happy to work with the city and other policy-makers and stake-holders to reduce the very real, very negative and very costly burden of alcohol abuse that was so blatantly depicted in last weekends event. Mifflin can and should be a learning experience for all of us that it is time to address the alcohol misuse present in Madison and help the businesses, families, students and all those that live work and play in this area thrive.

Want to hear more about what went down on Mifflin Saturday? Click here.

For more evidence-based strategies to prevent alcohol abuse, click here.