Wisconsin Partnership Supports Beloit Group's Plan to Fight Infant Mortality

Madison, Wisconsin - With support from the Wisconsin Partnership Program, a growing coalition in Beloit will start working immediately toward tackling infant mortality rates in the African-American community.

A community coalition - led by the Stateline Community Foundation - won approval for its $200,000 planning proposal from the Oversight and Advisory Committee of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The Beloit coalition includes strong partnerships with the Rock County Health Department, area health care providers, educational institutions, and community groups.

The funds were awarded as part of the Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families, the Wisconsin Partnership Program's $10 million overall commitment to address infant mortality in Wisconsin's black community.

From 2002 to 2006, Beloit's infant mortality rate among African-Americans (17 deaths per 1,000 births) was more than double the rate for white babies born in Beloit (7.5 per 1,000 births). It is more than three times higher than the rate for white babies born both in Rock County and statewide, both about five deaths per 1,000 births.

"Beloit is a unique community, and this proposal reflects that and incorporates voices from throughout the city," Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families program leader Lorraine Lathen said.

The bulk of the award will be used to set a course toward improving access to maternal and child health resources and tailoring community-specific action plans that use evidence-based practices to close the racial disparity in birth outcomes.

The initiative will also assist in the collection of city-specific data. Most health data in Wisconsin is collected at the county level, making it difficult for Beloit leaders to tailor solutions to their city.

"Our visit to Beloit was inspiring. There are so many dedicated people eager to be part of the solution there," said Dr. Philip Farrell, co-chair of the Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families steering committee and professor of pediatrics and population health sciences.

A planning proposal from Racine was approved in March and Kenosha followed in April. The Oversight and Advisory Committee plans to review a proposal from a coalition in Milwaukee in the coming months.