$16M in grants to support maternal, infant health statewide
Data: Mortality rates for Black mothers are about 5 times higher in state than those of white mothers.
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced a $16 million, statewide investment Wednesday to improve maternal and infant health, especially among people of color.
The funding, largely made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act, will be split between the state health department's Maternal and Child Health program, the Medical College of Wisconsin's Healthier Wisconsin Endowment and the University of WisconsinMadison's School of Medicine and Public Health. Each entity will receive $5.5 million.
The health department program will use the money to launch a grant program to fund community and systemslevel initiatives that focus on reducing mortality rates for mothers and infants. Wisconsin has historically faced some of the worst racial gaps in the county when it comes to maternal and infant mortality rates, especially for Black mothers and their children.
“We have to connect the dots to expand access to quality, affordable health care if we want to address the health disparities our state has faced for years," Evers said in a statement. "I've always said that what's best for our kids is what's best for our state, and these investments are critical for supporting kids and families and creating the future we want for our state.”
The MCW endowment fund and UWMadison will use the funding to also support community grants for programs that focus on the social conditions that contribute to racial disparities in Wisconsin's maternal and infant mortality rates.
Those factors include unequal access to affordable housing, employment and access to doula and midwifery services. The universities will also fund efforts to train community health workers, increase health education and outreach, provide pre-conception care and education and implement prevention strategies to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
A 2020 study published in the Journal of Perinatology found that Wisconsin had the worst Black infant mortality rate in the U.S. among 36 states and the District of Columbia. Infants born to Black mothers were three times as likely not to survive to their first birthday than infants born to white mothers.
State data also shows mortality rates for Black mothers are approximately