The service area of Northwest AHEC includes 20% of the Wisconsin land area and eleven counties: Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix and Washburn. Ten of these counties are designated as Mental Health HPSA’s, ten contain Primary Care HPSA’s and nine are classed as Dental HPSA’s. In all but one, the populations exceed the state average of persons aged 65+. Nine of the eleven counties top the state average for people living below the poverty level. Somali immigrants lured by jobs in the poultry industry now comprise 13% of the city of Barron’s population. In addition, the Northwest region is home to four Bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa – Bad River, Lac Courte Oreilles, Red Cliff and St. Croix.
The Northwest region is served by three Community Health Centers (Superior, Minong/Hayward and Bayfield) with four service delivery sites. It also includes an additional two service delivery sites of the Family Health Center of Marshfield CHC, five rural health clinics and sixteen Critical Access Hospitals.
Northwood Technical College, with campuses at Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake and Superior, provides opportunities for students to study for a variety of health programs to include, but not limited to, Associate Degree Nursing, Medical Assistant, Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Dental Assistant, Health Information Technician Medical Coding, and Gerontology – Aging Services Professional. The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, UW Barron County 2-year campus, four-year degree granting institutions Northland College and UW Superior are the region’s other educational institutions. The UW System has a BSN-completion program available via distance education. Health education programs are offered by the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth’s St. Scholastica College and Lake Superior College (a two-year community and technical college). Duluth, MN is adjacent to the city of Superior, WI in the northwest corner of the Northwest AHEC region.
At a Glance
Population
315, 238 (5.7% of state)
Serving 11 Counties
Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, and Washburn
Health Professional Shortage Areas
10 counties contain Primary Care HPSAs
10 counties contain Mental Health HPSAs
9 counties contain Dental HPSAs
Contact Us
Northwest AHEC
38568 Hanninen Road
Marengo, WI 54855
(715) 413-1573
Website: https://www.nwwisconsinahec.org/
Brad Gingras, Executive Director
P: (715) 413-1573
bgingras@nwwisconsinahec.org
Niccy Omann, Program Coordinator
P:(715) 222-5490
nomann@nwwisconsinahec.org