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[Madison, WI, May 5, 2026] – In Dane County, Wisconsin, a powerful truth is emerging: when coordinated, culturally aligned, maternal care starts early and stays consistent, birth outcomes for Black mothers and babies improve. Such are the findings of an initial evaluation report on local efforts to address Dane County’s longstanding racial birth disparities.
For the past eight years, the Dane County Health Council (DCHC) and the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness (FFBWW) have led the Saving Our Babies Initiative—a groundbreaking cross-sector collaboration aimed at eliminating the Black low-infant birth weight crisis and to broadly improve Black maternal and child health. Together with ConnectRx Wisconsin (CRx), an innovative care coordination model launched in 2022, the work is demonstrating measurable gains.
To date, the ConnectRx program has conducted more than 18,500 screenings, generated 4,525 referrals to critical community resources, and supported 515 births—including 332 with doula care. Among participants, 94% of births reach optimal gestational age and 93% of babies are born at a healthy birth weight—outcomes that now exceed countywide averages. These outcomes provide one of the strongest early demonstrations that community-driven, coordinated care works.
Findings from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Reproductive Equity Action Lab—analyzing over 31,000 births between 2022-2024, including 350+ births among ConnectRx Wisconsin participants—confirm that the program is reaching families with the highest needs and driving measurable improvements in outcomes. Preliminary evaluation results also offer clear lessons about what is working:
- ConnectRx Wisconsin is reaching families with the highest need. On average, CRx participants navigate three or more major social challenges and are connected to multiple community resources to address needs like financial strain, housing instability, and food insecurity.
- Early connection and sustained participation change outcomes. Pregnant patients who enrolled in CRx in the first trimester saw significantly better outcomes; and preterm birth rates were cut by more than half compared to Black birthing people not enrolled in the program.
- Longer participation is linked to stronger outcomes: Findings also suggest that longer participation, 6-7 months or longer, is linked to stronger outcomes, reinforcing the importance of enrolling early and staying connected throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
Findings also highlight ongoing needs and challenges:
- Need is outpacing capacity. As referrals increased, wait times for ConnectRx grew, especially in 2023, reinforcing the need to expand staffing capacity so families can enroll early enough to benefit fully from the program.
- This work is only beginning. Some findings are not yet statistically significant due to small sample sizes and relative infancy of the program. Generational change requires long-term commitment; clearer trends are expected as the program is sustained.
- Saving Our Babies and ConnectRx Wisconsin are one piece of the solution. Even with these strategies and solutions in place, broader inequities persist, underscoring the need to address systemic racism and structural barriers that shape birth outcomes.
Despite the challenges, partners point to a clear driver of progress: a model intentionally built on trust, access, representation, and the integration of both clinical and community care. ConnectRx Wisconsin recruits, trains, and supports doulas and Community Health Workers (CHWs) who reflect the lived experiences of the families they serve—many of whom are former participants. This culturally aligned workforce, working in tandem with clinical staff, is essential to rebuilding trust where systems have historically fallen short, strengthening engagement, and ensuring continuity of care.
“ConnectRx Wisconsin shows what is possible when healthcare systems and community partners work in true alignment,” said Eric Thornton, President of SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Madison, an anchor member organization of the Dane County Health Council. “By meeting families where they are and addressing the full range of needs impacting health, we are not only improving outcomes—we are restoring trust and dignity, and advancing equity in care.”
Together, these findings point to what must come next: expanding capacity so more families can enroll early, sustaining and investing in doulas and CHWs, and deepening partnerships between healthcare systems and community organizations. While the path forward is achievable, partners emphasize that scaling ConnectRx Wisconsin’s impact will require sustained, multi-year investment and philanthropic support to grow capacity, strengthen workforce infrastructure, and ensure early access – ultimately realizing the broader promise of the work.
"ConnectRx is one of Wisconsin's most impactful efforts to undo longstanding birth disparities for Black mothers and babies — built by systems and community working as true partners," said Lisa M. Peyton, CEO & President of the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness. "The question is no longer if it works. It's whether we will invest at the scale required to reach every family who needs it."
For more information or to support the Initiative, please visit www.savingourbabieswi.org or contact Ariel Robbins: arobbins@uwhealth.org.
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About the Dane County Health Council:
The Dane County Health Council is a coalition of healthcare providers, government and nonprofits with a mission to eliminate gaps and barriers to optimal health and reduce disparities in health outcomes in Dane County. Council members include Access Community Health Centers, Black Maternal and Child Health Alliance, Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin, Madison Metropolitan School District, Public Health Madison & Dane County, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Madison, United Way of Dane County, UnityPoint Health – Meriter and UW Health.
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Contact:
Lisa Adams
