Saving Our Babies

We are in a state of emergency

Too many Black babies in Wisconsin are dying before their first birthday.

The gap in birth outcomes between Black and white women in Dane County and Wisconsin has persisted for decades, while Black mothers and birthing people across the state face consistently higher rates of maternal deaths each year.
We are collaborating across sectors to implement community-driven solutions to end this crisis and produce better birth outcomes for Black families.
‍

of every 1,000 babies born to Black mothers in Dane County don’t live to see their first birthday

more babies born to Black mothers in Dane County are low birth weight, than those born to white mothers

1st

Wisconsin’s 2018 national ranking for Black infant mortality

Learn More About The Crisis

Our Solutions

We seek to advance Black maternal, child, and family well-being in Dane County to improve birth outcomes. We work with partners across communities and sectors to build strategies for confronting the chronic family stress, institutional racism, and economic disparities that contribute to Black infant mortality and low weight births in our county. Our solutions and approaches are community-informed, co-created by those most impacted, and intentionally seek to address social and structural barriers to family and community health.

Centering Black Women & Communities

Acknowledge Black women and community members as experts to inform and drive solutions that impact their lives.

Building Community Capacity

Invest in community leadership capacity and infrastructure to inform solutions and support health transformation.

Care Coordination

Coordinate patient care and community resources to address health, social, and economic needs and to close access gaps.

Uprooting Bias in Health Systems

Confront and disrupt discrimination and bias in healthcare systems, and bridge cultural disconnects in health care delivery.

Systems Change & Advocacy

Represent the wellbeing of Black women and families in health, social, and economic policy through advocacy and cross-sector partner engagement.

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"Effective and sustainable solutions that improve Black women-baby-family and community health must address structural inequality and how it shapes the drivers of health, with an emphasis on creating social and economic security."

Lisa Peyton- Caire

Founder and President of the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness

Our vision

A Dane County and Wisconsin where Black Mothers, Babies and Families Thrive

Eliminate inequities in health, educational, and economic outcomes for Black women, families, and children.
Eliminate Black-White racial inequities in low-weight births.
Eliminate Black-White racial inequities in infant mortality.