A group is attempting to tackle the issue of infant mortality in Wisconsin by targeting stress in people’s lives. Lorraine Lathen, President of Jump at the Sun consultants, says the racial disparity in birth outcomes in Wisconsin is staggering.
Lorraine Lathen (:34)
With the ABC’s for Healthy Families Journey of a Lifetime program, Lathen says they are reaching out to women and families who feel isolated. She says many of the stressors come from economic issues such as homelessness and unemployment. They work to connect people with programs that can address these financial problems.
Participants are found through health care providers and outreach coordinators, as well as a campaign involving text messaging and online social networking.
The federally funded program works under the umbrella of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services which is attempting to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes. 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.