Place Matters: The Decline of Infant Mortality in Dane County
Hooray for the children
Hooray for the children
discussed Madison’s phenomenon and talked about some of the components of Dane County’s health care
system that may have contributed to the improvement.
“What contributed to this is exactly the question we ask ourselves every day,” said Dr. Tom Schlenker,
director of Public Health – Madison & Dane County. “How did it happen? It’s going to take a while to figure out.
But some of the things that we’re noticing already is that there is a real different mood and attitude and feelings
among African Americans in Dane County. The kind of positive response we heard so often when we were
talking to moms and dads who had babies recently in Dane County is not the experience in other parts of the
state. It begs the question ‘Well why is that?’ That is something that is making a big presence.”
Perhaps the narrowing of the gap in infant mortality rates is reflective of a narrowing of a gap in the
perceptions of young African American parents and a mainly Euro-American medical system. “. I think the gulf of
perceptions between African American pregnant women and doctors and nurses has narrowed,” Schlenker
said. “It is perception. It is attitude. There is a difference in the generations. That was a very moving part of this
video where the mother talked about what it was like for her growing up and sitting next to her daughter on the
couch who has a very different experience. I think there is a lot to be said for that as a causative factor.”
Thomasina Clay, an African American mother who participated in the making of the video, is enthusiastic
about the results. “This thing has been a great experience,” Clay said. “I really hope this gets the word out. We
want to figure out what is going on right here that might not be going right in other places. Racine was four times
worse than we are. They might be doing everything they can right. What can we help them with?”
Next issue: Exploring the causes for the shifts in attitudes
system that may have contributed to the improvement.
“What contributed to this is exactly the question we ask ourselves every day,” said Dr. Tom Schlenker,
director of Public Health – Madison & Dane County. “How did it happen? It’s going to take a while to figure out.
But some of the things that we’re noticing already is that there is a real different mood and attitude and feelings
among African Americans in Dane County. The kind of positive response we heard so often when we were
talking to moms and dads who had babies recently in Dane County is not the experience in other parts of the
state. It begs the question ‘Well why is that?’ That is something that is making a big presence.”
Perhaps the narrowing of the gap in infant mortality rates is reflective of a narrowing of a gap in the
perceptions of young African American parents and a mainly Euro-American medical system. “. I think the gulf of
perceptions between African American pregnant women and doctors and nurses has narrowed,” Schlenker
said. “It is perception. It is attitude. There is a difference in the generations. That was a very moving part of this
video where the mother talked about what it was like for her growing up and sitting next to her daughter on the
couch who has a very different experience. I think there is a lot to be said for that as a causative factor.”
Thomasina Clay, an African American mother who participated in the making of the video, is enthusiastic
about the results. “This thing has been a great experience,” Clay said. “I really hope this gets the word out. We
want to figure out what is going on right here that might not be going right in other places. Racine was four times
worse than we are. They might be doing everything they can right. What can we help them with?”
Next issue: Exploring the causes for the shifts in attitudes
| Clockwise from upper left: Hershey Barnett-Bridges (l-r), Betty Banks and Lucretia Sullivan-Wade; Dr. Tom Schlenker (l) and Dr. Frank Byrne; Robin Murphy (l-r), Doris Franklin and Nina Woods; Thomasina Clay and her family; Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk addresses the audience; Rev. Harold Rayford entertains at the presentation |
By Jonathan Gramling
Part 1 of 2
Something important has happened in Madison and Dane
County for which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has
taken notice. In its May 29, 2009 edition of the Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC proclaimed in its headline
“Apparent Disappearance of the Black-White Infant Mortality
Gap - Dane County, Wisconsin, 1990 – 2007.” Unlike the rest of
the state and indeed most of the country, the gap between
African American and Euro-American infant deaths had
disappeared.
A coalition of health care providers, community members
and public officials have come together to determine what was
behind this phenomenon so that the community could continue
the trend.
On August 27, the coalition premiered a video about the
phenomenon, ‘Place Matters: The Decline in Infant Mortality in
Dane County,’ at Monona Terrace. In the video, community
members, parents and members of the health professions
