Photo: County Executive David Crowley - Facebook
David Crowley
David Crowley
Recognizing in his opening remarks that the Milwaukee County Courthouse resides on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland, County Executive David Crowley delivered the 2022 State of the County Address virtually, on Wednesday.
Crowley cited ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and institutional racism that Milwaukee continues to face, “we know that all along we’ve been fighting not one, but two pandemics,” he said.
In response to COVID-19, Crowley said the Department of Health and Human Services and Office of Emergency Management has delivered nearly half a million masks to municipalities, community organizations, and members of the public. With the assistance of the Office of Emergency Management, the county was able to administer vaccines out of Kosciusko Community Center and administer over 17,000 shots into the arms of county residents, prioritizing the most vulnerable residents. Vaccine eligibility was opened early to anyone 16 and older who resided in the 10 most vulnerable zip codes.
Regarding racial health disparities Crowley said the county has created seven internal strategy teams to help advance work in the three strategic focus areas: Creating Intentional Inclusion, Bridging the Gap and Investing in Equity.
Reflecting Diversity
The Diversity and Inclusion team and Equitable Contracting team have done crucial work to help make sure county government reflects Milwaukee’s full diversity at every level.
According to Crowley, the Service Alignment team is bridging the gap on health disparities by determining what, where, and how services are delivered to advance equity. Those team members also inform decisions on where to make investments that tackle the root causes of health disparities.
The Integration team is working to maximize access to, and quality of services offered by the County by breaking down silos that have existed in government for too long. And the Racial Equity Lens team is ensuring we apply a racial equity lens to all decisions we make. The Fiscal Health team is working to enhance the county’s fiscal health and sustainability so we can continue to make investments in equity in the future.
Lastly, the Inclusive Communities team is finding ways to dismantle barriers to diverse and inclusive communities that have made our community one of the most segregated in the nation.
Crowley also noted the county budget office was reorganized to include the County’s Strategy Director. “It only makes sense that the County staff charged with passing responsible budgets is integrated with staff tasked with creating long-lasting change that dismantles inequitable systems and establishes new systems that meet the needs of all our residents.” The new department will ensure prioritizing a strategic vision when making decisions at Milwaukee County, he said.
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Read the full transcript here county.milwaukee.gov/EN/County-Executive/News/Press-Releases/Full-Remarks-County-Executive-David-Crowley-2022-State-of-the-County-Address-
