Communities Transforming Maternal & Child Health
Ensure families have access to adequate breastfeeding services,
and experience improved health outcomes, by developing sustainable partnerships across WIC and other maternal and child health organizations.
Initiative Status:
Active since 2016
Led By:
Wisconsin Department of Health Services – Wisconsin
WIC Program and Maternal & Child Health Program
In some areas, quality breastfeeding and healthcare services that reflect the community served and match that community’s needs might not exist. If quality services exist, families might not know about them. If families know about the services, they might not be able to access them at the right time or at all. If families can access the services, they might not experience the same quality of care over time.
These barriers have a large impact on families’ health outcomes, and disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), people with limited income, and rural populations.
A lack of connections between local maternal and child health organizations makes it difficult to coordinate services. A majority of Wisconsin hospital and WIC leaders said they have weak or no relationships with other organizations in their communities — including WIC and home visiting programs, prenatal clinics, and hospitals.1,2
Community and clinical organizations offer a wide range of programs and services for families. However, not everyone knows about existing resources in order to share current information. Less than half of hospital, WIC, and home visiting leaders believe organizations in the community are aware of their existing practices or services.1,2,3
A key way families learn about and access available services is through referrals. Only 18% of hospital leaders reported their staff refer all patients to WIC,1and almost 30% of home visiting leaders said they do not receive referrals from their local WIC agency.3
Less than half of hospitals have an active task force to address lagging breastfeeding outcomes and their community’s specific needs. None of the task forces include community support providers (i.e. doulas) or community members,1 and only 15% of WIC agency leaders said they have a staff person on their local task force.2
The Wisconsin Community Collaboration Project focuses on improving families’ access to adequate breastfeeding services and other evidence-based maternity care practices.
Maternal and child health organizations are provided resources and support for developing sustainable partnerships that work toward improving breastfeeding rates by addressing access to services, continuity of care, and consistent messaging. State and local organizations can benefit from…
Find alignment opportunities by analyzing state-level policies, programs, and priorities.
Enhance referral systems by leveraging existing networks and building new connections.
Get expert technical assistance and learn from other communities on how to improve access to care.
Gather information about programs, reach, data sources, priority areas, funding opportunities, and local networks.
Survey local networks to understand their needs, priorities, partnerships, successes, and progressive programming.
Access a landscape analysis report that compiles statewide partner profiles with recommendations on potential priority, focus area, collaboration, and funding opportunity alignment. This opportunity is also available for regional-level programs and health systems.
Community Match is an online dashboard that helps local organizations coordinate with other organizations. Use Community Match to…
Receive technical assistance from a community partnership coordinator on building referral networks and collaborating more efficiently across community partners. A community partnership coordinator can help you..
Many communities have already had success improving access to care! Local leaders can share with and learn from these communities through..
Access materials that can help prepare families for their birth and breastfeeding journeys
The materials are designed to be used in a wide range of settings, including hospitals, prenatal clinics, and WIC agencies. This helps ensure families hear a consistent message at every stage of care.
Contact us to access tools and training
Improve families’ care and provide consistent messaging with staff education on evidence-based maternity care practices. A variety of training options are available for WIC, hospital, and other community organizations.
Contact us to access tools and trainingSince 2016, Coffective, the Wisconsin WIC Program, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services have partnered to support community success across the state. See how our journey has evolved!
Find out more about the initiatives, tools, and activities available to Wisconsin maternal and child health organizations.
Contact us1. Coffective Wisconsin Hospital Leader Survey, 2019
2. Coffective Wisconsin WIC Leader Survey, 2019
3. Coffective Wisconsin Home Visiting Leader Survey, 2019
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