Pregnant Black people in Wisconsin face much higher risks than their white counterparts. Black people are three times more likely to die in childbirth and post-pregnancy, and they face much higher rates of postpartum depression. A new project from the Wisconsin Medical Society, Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Nurses Association is seeking to change that, by filling in gaps in coverage.
Dr. Wendy Molaska is part of this effort. She’s a family practice physician and the immediate past president of the Wisconsin Medical Society, and understands the task at hand.
“Unfortunately, in Wisconsin, we see a lot of health disparities. We do not see as good of outcomes in terms of our Black moms and babies — things like increased preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight babies, preterm labor. These are all more common in our Black mothers throughout Wisconsin as opposed to a lot of our white mothers,” she says.
There are multiple factors that contribute to these disparities. Molaska lists inconsistencies in health care access between Black and white patients and general mental health as main contributors. A new grant will allow for these issues to be addressed through a pilot program that tackles these disparities.
“The Wisconsin Medical Society is really proud to be among some of the grant recipients, along with the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Nurses Association. Our goal is to try and launch pilot programs to address some of these disparities, especially in overall care and mental health of Black mothers during and after pregnancy,” explains Molaska.