American Heart Association
Milwaukee
We are where you live, work and play.
Creating a Culture of Health
We are working to weave healthy living practices and opportunities into our community. From teaming up with city leaders to support more walking and biking routes, to driving initiatives that make healthier food options available in all neighborhoods, to providing our kids with more opportunities to be active in school – we are making it easier to be healthy where we live, work and play in Milwaukee.
Social Determinants of Health in Milwaukee
Research has shown that your zip code can have just as big of an impact on your health as your genetic code. In Milwaukee, there is a life expectancy gap of 12 years between zip codes. People who live in 53206 on Milwaukee's Northside have a shorter life expectancy than those living just 4.5 miles away in 53217, simply because of where they live.
At the American Heart Association, we are working to create a culture of health within our community and working to address these social determinants of health.
Contact Us
1555 N. RiverCenter Drive, Suite 211
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
Phone: 414-271-9999
- Executive Director: Katie Connolly
- Communications: Stacy Amstadt
- Community Health: Tim Nikolai
- RVP Youth Market: Kori Coffeen
For more information on how to volunteer, please contact volunteerMKE@heart.org or call 414-227-1455
Focusing on the Need
There is no quick fix, no one way to solve complex health issues that are affecting this generation and generations to come. That’s why we’re focused on the areas within communities where there is an opportunity to make the greatest impact. Because at the center of it all, we have Milwaukee at Heart.
Improving Quality of Life
Living healthy and free of disease makes a critical difference in quality of life. That's why we are working to raise awareness about the vital effect lifestyle has on health, especially poor nutrition and inactivity, and to help children form healthy habits that will last a lifetime by removing obstacles to making healthy choices. From 1989-91, life expectancy at birth in Wisconsin was 77 years but by 2010-12, life expectancy at birth increased to 80 years, a sign that our work is making a difference.
Ensuring Healthy Environments
Being a Wisconsinite should help our health, not harm it. We're working to increase opportunities for people to incorporate physical activity into their everyday lives and to make nutritious foods more accessible and affordable for all. We're also working to enact national, statewide and local policies the raise the minimum legal sale age for all tobacco products to 21 and protect kids from cheap, flavored tobacco products.
Strengthening the Economy
A community's well-being is directly related to the health of its local economy. On average, men and women spend more than half of their waking hours at work. That is why we collaborate with the local business community to help create a more physically active, health-conscious culture in the office. From blood pressure screenings to fitness days, our local worksites are starting to work for our well-being. The American Heart Association is also helping reverse the tax burden from obesity and disease-related healthcare costs by increasing taxes on items that contribute to disease.
Elevating Care
With human ingenuity, we can prevent heart disease and stroke — and care for people who suffer from these devastating diseases. In Wisconsin, we are fueling discovery, providing more than $8.6 million to fund 43 studies at Wisconsin research institutions. Seventy Wisconsin hospitals are implementing one or more of our Get With The Guidelines quality improvement programs. Patient outcomes improve when healthcare providers follow current evidence-based guidelines.
Changing Policy
Policy has the power to protect our health, improve communities and drive lasting change. The American Heart Association empowers citizens to take informed action on local and state policies because we can all benefit from things like smoke-free laws. Thanks to our advocacy efforts, all of Wisconsin's 911 dispatchers will be able give life-saving CPR coaching over the phone, and all Wisconsin high schoolers will learn CPR before high school graduation. Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death, with around 1,000 people suffering cardiac arrests outside the hospital each day in the United States, but Wisconsinites now have a better chance of survival thanks to our CPR laws.
