Maternal Health Innovation Program

Announcements

The Maternal Health Innovation (MHI) Taskforce is looking for individuals with maternal health lived experience to join their subcommittee.

Are you a pregnant or postpartum woman who had barriers during your pregnancy? If you were pregnant in the last three years, including partners and non-birthing parents, and want to improve care for pregnant women in Wisconsin, consider joining the Maternal Health Lived Experience subcommittee.

Register for an informational session (opens external video) from 10–11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29.

Program overview

Maternal mortality and morbidity are key indicators of the health status and care received by individuals before, during, and after a pregnancy.

We have room for improvement in overall maternal health outcomes in Wisconsin. The State Maternal Health Innovation Program provides an opportunity to bring together partners to move maternal health forward in the state.

The State Maternal Health Innovation Program will serve as a catalyst to accelerate improvement and identify medical and non-medical causes of maternal mortality and morbidity.

Goals

Goals of this program are to:

  • Establish a state-focused Maternal Health Task Force to create and implement a strategic plan that aligns statewide efforts and incorporates activities outlined in the state’s most recent state Title V needs assessment.
  • Improve state-level maternal health data and surveillance.
  • Promote and execute innovation in maternal health service delivery through addressing critical gaps in direct clinical care, workforce, maternal health data, and partnership and community engagement.
  • Ensure alignment between maternal and child health program efforts while supporting and elevating statewide and local maternal health efforts.

Major milestones

  • Grant awarded October 1, 2023
  • State Maternal Health Innovation staff hired in February and March 2024
  • Task force development and planning in April 2024
  • Funding announcement released for innovation projects in April 2024

2024–2025 timeline

  • Convene first quarterly meeting of task force by July 2024.
  • Develop draft strategic plan by September 2024 and finalizing by May 2025.
  • Identify the mission and vision of the task force, aligned with the strategic plan by September 2024.
  • Support a maternal health summit to disseminate a draft of the strategic plan by November 2024.
  • Begin implementation of the strategic plan by Summer 2025.

Contact Maternal Health Innovation staff

Contact State Maternal Health Innovation staff at dhsmhi@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

Last revised July 21, 2025