Wello health and well-being survey works to reflect full, diverse picture of Brown County
Natalie Eilbert
Robin Scott couldn’t pronounce some of the fruits and vegetables in her box of fresh produce, let alone say she had ever tried some of the goods.
"It's scary to try new things!" she said. "But I love that I get to introduce rhubarb and organic zucchini to families."
This year Scott, the executive director of We All Rise African American Resource Center, helped kickstart a pilot program for Black families in Brown County to receive free farmers’ market fare.
“We know that just as much a part of having resources in the community, having good jobs, having good social and emotional support is also the ability to fuel our bodies with things that are good and happy and from the earth,” Scott said.
That’s thanks to a community-driven health and well-being survey by Wello, which asks Brown County residents about their quality of life and sense of belonging in the greater Green Bay area. Wello is distributing its 2021 survey, open until Tuesday, with a gamut of organizations that reflect Brown County's increasingly diverse demographics. The survey is available in English and Spanish.
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Mario Gonzalez, the communications and marketing manager for Wello, explained that, unlike most data collected for surveys, this survey is tailored to the culture and community of Brown County. Unlike state and federal data, which is gathered every five to ten years, the information reflects the here and now.
“What this data gives us is truly a more real-time portrayal of what our community is experiencing, what needs fixing, what's working, and how we continue to make sure that everyone can have high levels of well-being regardless of race, income, ethnicity, gender, education level, whatever it may be,” Gonzalez said.
After the 2019 survey, the health and well-being organization listened to the community's need for whole foods and literally delivered to We All Rise. Another issue that the 2019 survey uncovered addressed the need to improve walkability and bikeability in the greater Green Bay region, creating spaces that survey takers believed would increase their health and vibrancy. The desire for free access to sidewalks and roads gave way to the campaign “Yield to Your Neighbor.”
More prominent for many residents in Brown County, however, was the poorer quality of life and the absence of a supportive community, a feeling especially sensed by people of color. Non-white members of the community reported lower well-being scores, an important consideration for Wello. In the aftermath of the 2019 survey, the wellness organization subscribed to the declaration, “Racism is a public health crisis.”
“We had a pandemic, we had a rise in social justice issues. There's so much that has happened in the world in the last two years,” said Gonzalez. “Everyone is affected in some way, shape, or form.”
Perhaps ironically, 93% of the 2019 survey's participants were white, a percentage at loggerheads with the sentiments of alienation many people of color communicated in the survey. It also doesn't reflect the latest census numbers, which show an increase in non-white racial and ethnic groups, which now make up 25 percent of Brown County residents.
This time, Wello has been actively engaged with organizations and individuals from We All Rise, Oneida Nation, Casa Alba Melanie, Napalese Lounge and Grille, and others to correct any gaps previous years have missed.
Tara Yang, manager of Main Oriental Market, which helps build Hmong community in Green Bay in addition to being a specialty Asian grocery store, said that Wello's declaration means a lot to her, especially as it relates to mental health.
"Mental health is really taboo to talk about in the Asian community. There's just not enough discussion around it," Yang said. "The more we talk about mental health issues, the more we can connect that with racism and racial trauma, and the more we can find solutions for that."
For her part, Yang will work with her staff, including her parents, in distributing Wello's surveys at Main Oriental Market. They're using a hybrid technology to ensure that they receive surveys from both younger and elder generations. Patrons can spend the less-than-five minutes it takes on a tablet filling out the survey, or, for the elder generations, they can fill out paper submissions.
Importantly, Yang said, she will be on standby in case anybody needs the survey translated, although she acknowledged the vastness of Asian ethnicities.
"Being with them in person is much more helpful and beneficial than translating," Yang said.
Scott, of We All Rise, emphasized that having a "seat at the table" is a good first step for engaging in community. It goes far beyond the annual survey Wello puts out. She said that listening sessions organized by Wello have also been important.
"Well-being is not the same for everyone. We think we live in a community that is really proud of the resources we do have, but with this data, we'll be able to see that, just because we're resourceful doesn't mean that the resources are reaching everyone," Scott said. "Our truths all look different."
Natalie Eilbert is a government watchdog reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert.