ECCHO: Engaging Communities to Change Health Outcomes

ECCHO is a civic engagement training program that seeks to improve community health outcomes by engaging those most impacted by generational and systemic racism in Dane, Milwaukee, and Rock county. Our Dane County program is bilingual in Spanish and is referred to as Empoderando a Comunidades para Cambiar y Optimizar la salud (ECCOS). During a 18 month training program, participants work together as a cohort to design and implement a community-based project that meets the health and civic health needs of their community. Each cohort is overseen by a Local Program Coordinator who compensates participants for their work and provides them with the training and resources they need to successfully implement their project, drive policy change, and transform local systems of power. ECCHO is committed to community-based leadership and decision-making that centers the views and experiences of those most affected by the issue. By investing in and lifting-up those most negatively impacted by generational and systemic racism in our state, ECCHO aims to transform local systems of power and improve health outcomes.