The Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc. recently released the focus areas for Milwaukee’s Lifecourse Initiative for Health Families (LIHF). The LIHF is a project funded with $10 million from the UW Wisconsin Partnership Program that is working to close the black-white gap in birth outcomes in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties by improving healthcare for African American women, strengthening African American families and communities, and addressing the disparities in social determinants of health in these counties. The focus areas shown below for Milwaukee County were chosen as a result of input from over 100 Initiative members and 450 other interested parties.
- Strengthening father involvement in African American families. Recommended strategies include:
- Engaging, partnering with and funding grassroots and informal efforts in the development of a comprehensive network of fatherhood resources and supports.
- Increasing relationship-building skills and self worth among African American men and their families in ways that are culturally appropriate and community driven.
- Increasing the role that dads play in the community.
- Increasing access to education and employment opportunities among African American males by providing mentoring, internships and job opportunities.
- Strengthening formal and informal partnerships to address structural barriers, including racism and discrimination. Recognizing that both informal and formal partners have equal value.
- Expanding healthcare access over the lifecourse. Recommended strategies include:
- Facilitating access to healthcare services, including preconception, prenatal and interconception care.
- Reducing financial barriers to African American utilization of medical homes.
- Increasing the capacity and quality of medical homes.
- Expanding access to specialty care, including behavioral health and dental care.
- Reducing poverty among African American families. Recommended strategies include:
- Removing structural barriers to obtaining and retaining jobs.
- Increasing family-sustaining jobs for low income African American men and their families.
Center staff participating in this process include
Center Director, Ron Cisler, who is a member of the Healthy Birth Outcomes Statewide Advisory Committee, the LIHF Steering Committee and Chair of the Epidemiology Data Work Group studying the epidemiology of infant mortality. Cisler, who is a faculty member of the new UWM Zilber School of Public Health (ZSPH), also heads the School’s Public Health Impact Initiative for Healthy Births;
Program Manager, Trina Salm Ward, and Center scientist Geof Swain are members of the Milwaukee LIHF Addressing Social Determinants Task Force and the ZSPH Public Health Impact Initiative. Salm Ward is also a member of the Epidemiology Data Work Group;
Center biostatistician, Han Yang Chen, who is a member of the Epidemiology Data Work Group;
Student intern, Farrin Bridgewater, who is a member of the Public Health Impact Initiative and the Epidemiology Data Work Group;
Center Evaluation Team members Jessica Rice and Courtenay Kessler are part of the LIHF Evaluation Workgroup, which will evaluate the overall Wisconsin Partnership Program LIHF project.
