About Us

Saving Our Babies is a comprehensive cross-sector collaboration that brings together health care systems, community organizations and members, public health leaders and service providers to close the gaps in birth outcomes. We center the voices of Black women to shape resources and solutions in policy and practices affecting Black maternal and child health.

How We Started

Since 2018, the Dane County Health Council (DCHC) — a coalition of health care providers, public entities, and nonprofits, The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness (FFBWW) and EQT by Design (EQT) have partnered to formulate tangible solutions to lower the incidence of low birth weight for babies born to Black mothers in Dane County. To guide this work, the DCHC commissioned the Foundation and EQT to conduct a community engagement effort that specifically centered Black women and community members as the most impacted to weigh in on the issue.

Over a 9 month period, the Foundation and EQT By Design engaged more than 300 Black women, men, and service providers across Dane County to identify root causes of these disparities as well as solutions to improve Black birth outcomes in the county. The findings of this outreach is summarized in the Saving Our Babies Report.

2017

April

Dane County Health Council identifies Black maternal and child health as a multiyear strategic priority.

2018

January

CDC releases a report that finds Wisconsin has the highest state infant mortality rate among non-Hispanic Black women during the period of 2013-2015: 14.28 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

2018

March

Dane County Health Council initiates community engagement campaign around the African American low birthweight crisis in our community. The Council contracted with The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness and its project partner EQT By Design, LLC. to execute this effort with the explicit goal of gathering the insights, perspective, and feedback of members of Dane County’s African American community

2019

April

The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness releases the Saving Our Babies report, generated from nine months of focus groups and listening sessions with over 300 Black residents and service providers in Dane County.

2019

November

Dane County Health Council and partners secure $1M national prize to create the ConnectRX care coordination model.

2020

August

Per recommendation of the Saving Our Babies Report, the Black Maternal and Child Health Alliance is formed, made up of Black women serving in important roles in health care, community, to serve as decision-makers and knowledge experts to inform strategies and solutions.

2022

April

Dane County Health Council, FFBWW, and partners launch a county-wide care coordination system, ConnectRX, as a major component of the strategy to improve Black birth outcomes.

Saving Our Babies Report

Uncovering solutions to lower the incidence of low birth weight babies born to Black mothers in Dane County.

"This report’s goal was to gather insight, perspective, and feedback from those most significantly and directly affected by this issue: — Dane County’s African-American community. This summary is a powerful first step as we move forward in collaboration toward saving our babies."

Dr. Ken Loving

CEO of Access Community Health Centers

Download Report