ConnectRx Wisconsin has emerged as a revolutionary solution to reducing health and social needs risks of Black pregnant women and birthing persons served through local hospitals and clinics. Through a wrap-around service delivery model designed by initiative partners with community input from more than 300 Black community members, ConnectRx Wisconsin deploys a dual workforce of clinic- and community-based health workers and trained doulas to support patients’ health, social, economic, mental health and other resource needs.
– source: UW Health press release April 16, 2024
At a Glance
This project, Improving Birth Outcomes for Black Families through Community-clinic Collaborations, led by the Dane County Health Council and the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, aimed to reduce racial inequities in maternal and infant health outcomes for Black families in Dane County. Through a collaborative model that integrated health care providers, community health workers, doulas and community organizations, the project screened more than 13,400 households for social determinants of health, facilitated more than 4,400 connections to essential services and supported approximately 200 active participants and their families. Since its start, ConnectRx Wisconsin has contributed to 515 healthy births among prenatally enrolled families, while the Well Black Doula program attended 332 births, with 94% of babies reaching optimal gestational age and 93% achieving healthy birth weights.
The Challenge
While Dane County is often cited as one of the nation’s best places to live and is home to some of the best health care institutions in the country, Black women and children in the community face inequities in health, educational and economic outcomes. Wisconsin has the highest Black infant mortality rate in the country, and Black infants born in Dane County are two times more likely to die in their first year of life than white infants. Factors contributing to racial disparities in birth outcomes are attributable to social and economic challenges in Dane County, including inadequate housing, food insecurity, lower educational attainment, fewer economic opportunities, poverty and structural racism. Black women face these challenges from infancy through adulthood, creating a cycle of chronic stress that accumulates and negatively affects their children.
Project Goals
This project, led by the Dane County Health Council and the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, aimed to reduce racial inequities in birth outcomes through care coordination. The goals for this project were to:
Create a centralized referral system that identifies and responds to Black families’ health and social needs by connecting them with nonprofits that provide services related to those needs.
Train a new corps of community health workers and doulas to partner with health system care teams on Black families’ needs.
Build bidirectional clinical-community referrals and community-wide resource coordination.
Results
This project established Connect Rx, a referral service links patients with community health workers and doulas, ConnectRX Wisconsin exceeded targets across all major project activities and demonstrated the effectiveness of a community-centered approach to improving Black maternal and infant health outcomes. More than 13,400 households across Dane County were screened for social determinants of health through partnerships with five health systems and more than 35 clinic locations, helping identify unmet needs and connect families to community resources.
The project expanded culturally responsive support for Black families by building a workforce of seven Community Health Workers (CHWs) and 12 community-based doulas integrated into healthcare teams. These professionals provided holistic, culturally aligned care throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period, serving as trusted bridges between healthcare systems and the communities they serve. ConnectRx also received 1,288 unique referrals during the project period, resulting in more than 4,400 connections to essential services. CHWs engaged more than 870 individuals and their families, helping participants navigate resources and access support related to housing, food, transportation, employment, childcare and healthcare. The program maintained approximately 200 active participants and achieved an acceptance rate of about 80% among referred individuals, reflecting both program relevance and patient trust.
The program’s maternal and infant health outcomes have been particularly notable. Since its start, ConnectRx has supported 515 healthy births among prenatally enrolled families. Through the Well Black Doula program, doulas attended 332 births, with 94% of babies born to Well Black Doula-supported mothers reaching optimal gestational age and 93% achieving healthy birth weights. In 2025 alone, the program served nearly 200 active patients, received 280 referrals and maintained a 75% acceptance rate.
The project also strengthened community partnerships and resource networks. New collaborations with Felicia’s Donation Closet and Village Diaper Bank expanded support for families experiencing domestic violence, housing instability and financial hardship. Through the Village Diaper Bank partnership, 40,000 diapers were distributed to families, helping address immediate needs while supporting broader efforts to improve family stability and economic security.
Looking to the Future
ConnectRx has successfully worked towards sustainability. Since receiving this award, the initiative has transformed its funding model from approximately 80 percent grant reliance to less than 10 percent, with partner contributions and philanthropic investments now comprising the majority of the operating budget. The confidence in the program’s outcomes has positioned the initiative for long-term sustainability and continued impact on Black maternal and infant health.
Lasting Impact
Beyond direct services, this project contributed to systems-level change. Social determinants of health screening practices expanded across healthcare systems, including UW Health, and workforce policies evolved to recognize lived experience as a valued qualification for CHW roles. Local hospitals also adopted new policies recognizing doulas as members of the maternal care team, improving their access to birthing facilities and allowing doula support to continue throughout labor, including during cesarean deliveries.
