Maternal Health Innovation Program
Background
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. We also need to address stark maternal mortality and morbidity inequities. Although the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and our partners have started to address these inequities, the State Maternal Health Innovation Program provides an opportunity to bring together diverse partners to move maternal health forward in the state.
The State Maternal Health Innovation Program will serve as a catalyst to accelerate improvement, address inequities, 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.