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Healthy Birth Outcomes:
Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities

Elimination of health disparities constitutes an overarching goal of the state health plans, Healthiest Wisconsin 2010 and Healthiest Wisconsin 2020.  Perhaps the most disturbing health disparity in Wisconsin is the persistent high death rate of infants born to African American women.  Infants born to African American women in Wisconsin have been 3-4 times more likely to die before their first birthday than infants born to white women.  Further, during the past 20 years, virtually no decline has occurred in Wisconsin’s African American infant mortality rate. Compared to white infant mortality, disparities also exist among American Indian, Laotion and Hmong, and Hispanic/Latino populations, although these disparities are smaller than those of African Americans.

Spotlight

New Save the Date: Monday, June 25, 2012 (PDF, 421 KB) - Joint meeting of the Wisconsin Healthiest Women Initiative and the Statewide Advisory Committee on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Birth Outcomes.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Empty Cradles" 2011 series on infant mortality:

City to Partner with United Way to Fight Infant Mortality (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 27, 2011) (exit DHS).

Wisconsin's efforts to reduce disparities in infant mortality were featured in the July 2011 ASTHO (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials) President's Challenge on Health Equity:  Wisconsin Reaches Out to Reduce Infant Mortality (exit DHS).

Survey findings: What Moms Tell Us: Postpartum Depression (PDF, 118 KB)

Wisconsin State Journal: Increase in Black Infant Deaths Stumps Health Officials (March 24, 2011)

U.W. School of Medicine and Public Health LIHF projects get under way (exit DHS).

Legislative Council Special Committee on Infant Mortality (exit DHS). May 11, 2011 letter to the members of the Special Committee on Infant mortality on the results of the March ballot.

text4baby text4baby (exit DHS)

DHS Web page about the text4baby campaign

This site will be updated as this initiative progresses.  Check back often for information for health care providers, researchers and the public on how to achieve healthy births for all Wisconsin families. 

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Last Revised:  May 07, 2012