SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Madison is proud to be an active participant and key partner in the Dane County Health Council’s (DCHC’s) efforts to address racial maternal and child health (MCH) inequities. Statistics have revealed that Wisconsin has the nation’s worst record for black infant mortality. In addition, maternal mortality for Black mothers is five times higher than for White mothers. 
The DCHC has the long-term goal of eliminating the Black-White racial inequities in low birthweight births and infant mortality. The Council also seeks to eliminate the health, educational and economic outcomes inequities for Black women and children. To do this, the Council is pursuing strategies and activities to expand continuous Black family engagement and leadership, create a system of universal risk screening of social determinants of health, improve community resource coordination through a closed-loop referral system, and address Care Team workforce diversity. 
A key DCHC activity involves development of the Connect Rx care coordination program. Connect Rx intends to provide more culturally responsive care and address Black MCH inequities, automatically identify high-risk pregnant patients and alert clinicians, and address patients’ unmet social needs.  These efforts are combined with the Council’s Saving Our Babies community engagement efforts. Through Saving Our Babies and leadership provided by the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness and EQT by Design, the Council hosted a Black Maternal and Child Health Summit. Saving Our Babies is also creating and launching a Black MCH website and is supporting a Black Maternal-Child Health Alliance.