Wisconsin Legislative Council Special Committee on Infant Mortality OCTOBER 13, 2010

1. Wisconsin Legislative Council Special Committee on Infant Mortality OCTOBER 13, 2010 Pathways to Healthier Families In Partnership with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Wisconsin Partnership Program “Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families (LIHF)” Presenters: Marilyn Kilgore – President, Beloit African American Infant Mortality Coalition Angela Moore – Project Coordinator, Beloit LIHF

2. Defining the issue-what we must understand Definition of Infant Mortality: The death of a baby before he/she reaches his/her first birthday. Definition of Health Disparities: The differences in the quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Rates of Disparity: In the United States African American babies die at a rate 3 to 4 times higher than white babies. Wisconsin is ranked as one of the highest states in the country for infant mortality among AA babies, and Beloit is one of the four cities in Wisconsin with a high rate of AA infant mortality. Some of the Causes for Infant Mortality:Poor prenatal care, low birth rate, premature deaths, SIDS, fetal alcohol syndrome, substance abuse, poverty, poor nutrition and poor health of the mother, poor sleeping position, lack of support from families and health care providers, racism, and stress.

3. Infant Mortality Rates, 2004-2008 WISH (Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health), Infant Mortality Module, accessed 11/30/09.

4. African American Infant Mortality CoalitionHISTORY • 2004: • Beloit Health Department MCH objective to raise awareness on disparities in infant death • Two initial public meetings sponsored by the Beloit Health Department • Monthly meetings at Merrill Community Center • 2005: • May 2005, the AAIMC officially organized into a formal voluntary community group • Monthly meetings at Merrill Community Center

5. Summary of coalition activities and events: 2006 1ST Annual Health Fair-March 4, 2006 For Expecting Mothers and Fathers & New Parents African American Mother’s Wish List 2007 2nd Annual Health Fair-March 3, 2007 For Expecting Mothers, Fathers, Entire Family 3rd Annual Health Fair-October 13, 2007 Beloit Healthy Families

6. 2008 • 4thAnnual Health Fair-May 17, 2008 • “Focusing On Health Through The Generations” • 1st Town Hall Meeting-September 22, 2008 • Video Presentation- “When The Bough Breaks” from • Unnatural Causes • 2009 • 1stPartnership Meeting-Community Engagement- February 2, 2009 • 2nd Town Hall Meeting-February 23, 2009 • Video Presentation- “Place Matters” from Unnatural Causes • 5th Annual Health Fair- April 25, 2009 • “Respect Yourself-Protect Yourself” 2ndPartnership Meeting- Community Engagement-August 3, 2009 Coalition assisted the Beloit LIHF: Pathways to Healthier Families write the grant for a community action plan for Beloit to address the problem of the disparity in AA infant mortality.

7. 2010 6th Annual Health Fair-October 2, 2010 Pathways To Healthier Families: Learning How To Reduce Stress

8. Beloit African American Infant Mortality Coalition MISSION STATEMENT: “To prevent racial disparity in infant mortality by increasing awareness of the causes of infant death, providing education on healthy pregnancy and infant care and encouraging local involvement and support”.

9. Beloit LIHF: Pathways to Healthier African American Families • Thanks to the dedication and hard work of the Beloit African American Infant Mortality Coalition led by Marilyn Kilgore, Beloit was positioned to respond to an RFP issued by the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP) in the ‘Fall of 2009 • The Stateline Community Foundation led by Tara Tinder, volunteered as the convening agency. • June 2010, funds were awarded by WPP and our Collaborative work began. • A Collaborative was formed made up of 50 agency representatives; service providers; and citizens.

10. Who are Our Partners?

11. Accomplishments/Our Mission During the first quarter, much time was focused on the building of the structure of the Collaborative The mission statement was developed and revised: “To build a Beloit Community Collaborative to close the black-white gap in birth outcomes by improving the health and well-being of African American families and communities, and addressing social and economic inequalities”

12. How Our Structure Was Formed Insert structure chart here

13. A Working Collaborative: • What else have we been doing? • Bylaws were written and revised • Subcommittee Charges were developed and members recruited • The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was developed and all partners were asked to sign the document • Stakeholder Engagement Job Descriptions were developed and Strategies developed to bring more people to the table including members of the impacted community

14. An Evaluation Tool was developed to monitor our effectiveness after each meeting using an IRB approved model • An Orientation packet was developed for member recruitment which included a Talking Points Sheet and an Informational Page • A segment of the film, Unnatural Causes – In Sickness and in Wealth” was shown to highlight disparities based on socio economic conditions • Thanks to WPP, a Wilder Survey Assessment Tool was administered in order to track the effectiveness of the Collaborative. This tool will be administered 3 times during the Planning Process

15. The Issues:How We Create Awareness • At the August meeting, a presentation from the WI Department of Workforce Development was held focusing on the unemployment statistics and Beloit demographics • Received updated infant mortality statistics from the Rock County Health Department

16. Community Education & Outreach • Hosted an African American Stakeholder Luncheon with 30 participants to engage the community in the Collaborative’s efforts. • Many joined the Coalition and or the Collaborative.

17. What People Said!! • “I had no idea this issue was this big” • “Did not know how devastating stress can be” • “Will be involved and will bring another male with me” • “The deterioration of the black family and lack of support systems lead to the inability to cope with stress” • “Education is the key to dealing with stress and poverty” • “Substance abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a coping mechanism to deal with stress” • “How can the “attitudes” of health care providers be addressed? • “We must also focus on the fathers and grandparents for support during the loss”

18. Training: Training on the Life Course model was held at the Beloit Public Library on September 17, 2010 with 55 participants attending. Lorraine Lathen, Dr. Murray Katcher, and Georgia Cameron facilitated this informative and interactive session

19. Action steps/media coverage: • An RFP was developed to conduct a Cultural Competency Training Session • Members are participating in Regional Communication and Evaluation Meetings • Media coverage was received from the Stateline News and the Beloit Daily News

20. Community kick-off/engaging youth: The Collaborative officially kicked off in partnership with the Sixth Annual African American Health Fair on October 2, 2010 Youth from the targeted community distributed flyers door to door in the Merrill Neighborhood to promote the event.

21. Next Steps: • As we move into the next quarter, Strategic Visioning sessions are being conducted to evaluate our structure to ensure that we are positioned to address the 3 domains of the 12 point plan: • improving access to quality health care, • strengthening African American families and communities • addressing social and economic development • Discussion groups will be assembled in the targeted community • Existing Community Needs Assessments will be reviewed • A Cultural Competency Training will be provided to the Collaborative members

22. Why We Need Your Support? We Want All Children To Survive And To Help Families Thrive!!!

23. Because The AlternativeIs Unacceptable!!!

24. Questions?

25. Contact Information Marilyn E. Kilgore African American Infant Mortality Coalition (608) 365-5907 mkilgore0823@aol.com Angela P. Moore Stateline Community Foundation (608) 363-9296 amoore3000@aol.com