Leadership Team Proud to Launch New Every Woman Wisconsin Website

Interactive Preconception Health Resources Now Available at www.everywomanwi.org

For Immediate Release

September 25, 2013

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Madison– After two years of thoughtful development, the Wisconsin Healthiest Women Initiative (WHWI) Leadership Team is proud to launch a new interactive website designed to be a preconception health resource for women, families, advocates and health care providers – www.everywomanwi.org. The WHWI Leadership team includes the following statewide women’s health organizations:Health Care Education and Training, March of Dimes Wisconsin, Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care, and the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation, in partnership with the Wisconsin’s Maternal and Child Program, Division of Public Health.

Recognizing that the health of Wisconsin’s women is closely tied to the health of Wisconsin’s children, families, and communities, the Wisconsin Healthiest Women Initiative (known today as Every Woman Wisconsin) developed a statewide framework to improve the health of all Wisconsin women of reproductive age.  The initiative is focused on improving two issue areas: 1) sexual health and pregnancy planning, and 2) the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health. These focus areas were chosen through a democratic process with women’s health stakeholders and were selected due to the foundational role they play in determining the long-term health and well-being of women.  See Wisconsin’s Statewide Framework for Improving Women’s Health at: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/healthybirths/

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“Women’s health is an important marker of the overall health of Wisconsin”, notes Sara Finger, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health.  “In addition to women’s social role as caregivers in families, a woman’s health before and during a pregnancy is closely intertwined with and an important influence on, the health of her child. Moreover, we believe that every woman should have the knowledge and opportunities to be healthy throughout her life for her own stability and well-being.”

The health of Wisconsin women ages 18-44 demonstrates a need for significant improvement; In Wisconsin, 23% of women are obese, 23% smoke, and 12% report poor mental health. For factors relating to pregnancy, 35% of pregnancies are unintended, 33% of women take a multivitamin with folic acid daily in the month prior to conceiving, and 14% experience postpartum depressive symptoms.  Although Wisconsin’s women’s health statistics are comparable to other states, these indicators still represent challenges for Wisconsin women to reach optimal health and improved maternal and infant outcomes.

The new Every Woman Wisconsin website was established to help Wisconsin women, providers and educators learn how to improve preconception health and health outcomes in our state.  Starting today, individuals can visit the new site to learn more about the Lifecourse Perspective, the importance of a Reproductive Life Plan, how social determinants impact health outcomes and what organizations and communities in the state are already doing to improve women’s health.

“Working together we have the potential to ensure that each of us – the women who are our mothers, sisters, daughters, partners, neighbors, or friends – is living in a healthy environment, has the opportunity and knowledge needed to make healthy choices, and has access to affordable and quality health care,” says Maureen Kartheiser with March of Dimes – Wisconsin.

To learn more about Every Woman Wisconsin and to how to improve Wisconsin women’s health, visit www.everywomanwi.org.