Western Upper Peninsula Health Department
About Us
Western Upper Peninsula Health Department is the northernmost local public health department in Michigan, serving the 71,000 residents of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties. Established in 1936, it is a special governmental unit meeting the public health needs of the Western Upper Peninsula region. We provide State mandated public health services and operate non-required programs that are important to the community’s health. The health department is also the majority shareholder in a private, not-for-profit home health and hospice company. That company, Aspirus Superior Home Heath and Hospice, Inc., provides services in the five counties, from offices leased from the health department.
It is the mission of the Western U.P. Health Department to lead the community toward better health through education, advocacy and disease prevention.
Public health works to prolong life and promote community health through disease prevention, control of environmental health hazards, and attention to the health needs of vulnerable population groups. Western U.P. Health Department will set the standard for community health agencies, as we perform our role within the healthcare system in a manner that reflects our core values. We will be recognized as the expert in community health protection and improvement, as a model of effective and responsive government, and as the regional leader for public health.