Two federal grants totaling $9.5 million over five years aim to help pregnant and postpartum Wisconsin women quit smoking.
Woman imaging a heart by her hands
Smoking during pregnancy affects the health of a mother and her baby, increasing the risk of a stillbirth, preterm delivery at a low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), childhood cancers, respiratory and behavioral issues, and death. It also costs the state of Wisconsin tens of millions of dollars each year in expenses attributed to maternal smoking.
The Wisconsin Women’s Quit Project funded through the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services-Office of Women’s Health will bring $300,000 to Wisconsin over two years to target smoking cessation among women of childbearing age. The Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation will use the money to partner with federally qualified health centers, or FQHCs, across the state and establish a First Breath smoking cessation program at each clinic. The grant also will be used to educate FQHC clinicians on smoking cessation techniques, launch a peer mentor pilot project involving past and current First Breath clients, and help make smoking cessation a priority for clinics.
In addition, the Striving to Quit program funded through the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare has received a $9.2 million grant over five years. The Striving to Quit project is a partnership between the state, UW Center for Tobacco Research and intervention, and Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation to evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives in helping BadgerCarePlus members quit smoking. The Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation will administer $2.7 million of the $9.2 million grant.
The Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation will work with pregnant and postpartum women in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Dane and Rock counties. Women will enroll in the First Breath smoking cessation program for support during pregnancy, then receive monthly contacts from a health educator for one year postpartum.
Wisconsin Medicaid is the prime payer for births in Wisconsin. In 2008, Wisconsin Medicaid paid for 45.6% of the total 71,977 births in the state. About 30% of pregnant Wisconsin Medicaid recipients smoke. The First Breath program of the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation aims to reduce smoking-related Medicaid costs in Wisconsin.
