In an effort to increase public health throughout the state, the University of Wisconsin accepted a $23.5 million federal grant Tuesday for a branch of University Health Services.

The Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources will use the funds from the Center for Disease Control toward a project to improve “proven prevention strategies” to decrease obesity and tobacco use in Wisconsin, a UW statement said.

According to the statement, the funds from the Community Transformation Grant will also be applied to further early screening for chronic diseases and cancer.

WCPR Director Julie Swanson said the grant provides UHS with an opportunity to work within the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea and builds on the success of the organization’s 35 years of experience in helping communities implement prevention strategies.

“This grant gives the University Health Services the opportunity to spread our vision of wellness to the boundaries of the state,” Swanson said in an email to The Badger Herald.

Swanson said the grant would fund 10 Wisconsin communities so they could improve upon their general health standards.

She said some of the work the funds will go toward include boosting access to nutritious foods and creating safe environments for neighborhood children to play in.

“This is important to the Madison community because kids who grow up healthy will come to the UW more prepared to learn and excel,” Swanson said in the email. “The health of the next generation of Wisconsin is essential to the UW continuing its standing as one of the top public universities in the nation.”

Seventy percent of Wisconsin’s health care costs are caused by chronic diseases that could have been prevented, making the grant especially pertinent to the state’s main concerns, Swanson said.

According to the statement, the award will be distributed over a span of five years and will be used to provide funds for local community-based coalitions in the 10 communities chosen by the organization.

Madison’s local YMCA chapter, which played a role in UHS’s application grant efforts, will receive a portion of the funding to use toward their own health initiative projects.

“YMCAs across the state of Wisconsin are thrilled to collaborate and help make this healthy transformation happen for Wisconsin,” Dane County YMCA CEO Carrie Wall said in a statement.