This article is part of the Cap Times series Deadly Divide, investigating Wisconsin’s ongoing Black infant mortality crisis. Erin McGroarty reported this story as a USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism 2026 National Fellow and a participant in the Center’s engagement initiative.
David Crowley leads the largest county in Wisconsin, which regularly ranks among the worst states in the nation for its Black infant mortality rate.
A majority of those deaths typically are concentrated in Crowley’s county, in central Milwaukee ZIP codes.
This crisis isn’t just a policy priority, the Democratic candidate for governor told the Cap Times. It’s a measure of whether Wisconsin can consider itself a success.
Crowley provided those insights in response to a questionnaire from the Cap Times, where health reporter Erin McGroarty is investigating the state’s long-standing status as one of the deadliest states for Black newborns.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for governor, did not complete the questionnaire or respond to multiple emails and phone calls over a seven-week period requesting responses.
The Cap Times has been unable to locate any public statements by Tiffany’s campaign about Black infant health in Wisconsin.
Crowley’s responses to the questionnaire can be found below.
Some responses have been edited for brevity.
Do you consider Black infant mortality a public health priority in Wisconsin?
Black infant mortality is not only a public health priority — it is one of the clearest measures of whether our systems work for every family.
Changing that requires looking beyond hospitals and clinics to include access to maternal health care, doulas, community health workers, stable housing, paid family and medical leave and economic security.
Wisconsin has long known about this disparity. We need sustained commitment to change it.
Would you support policies to improve access to early and consistent prenatal care for Black mothers and others who struggle to access these services?
I would expand access to early and consistent prenatal care through Medicaid. I also support greater access to care through paid family and medical leave, transportation, telehealth, group prenatal care and postpartum home visits.
In 2026, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a bill later signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers to extend the period of time Medicaid covers postpartum care for mothers. Do you support expanding or further modifying Wisconsin’s Medicaid program to improve maternal and infant health?
Yes. However, maternal health begins long before pregnancy. Chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental health needs often go untreated for years, driving poor birth outcomes and maternal mortality. Expanding health care coverage through a public option is foundational for improving outcomes.
Wisconsin must strengthen maternal health benefits throughout pregnancy and the postpartum year. I support coverage for doulas, community health workers, dental health, nutrition, postpartum home visits and mental health and substance use screening and treatment. Coverage must translate into actual care, requiring stronger reimbursement and provider participation — especially in rural and underserved communities.
Would you support or propose policy to improve access to maternal mental health services, including screening and treatment for postpartum depression and other complications?
Maternal mental health must be treated as a core part of prenatal and postpartum care. I would expand access to routine screening, timely referral and treatment for postpartum depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and other complications. Medicaid and private insurance should cover these services, including telehealth, home-based support and care delivered through doulas and community health workers. Wisconsin should also expand successful community-based efforts such as the First Breath perinatal care pilot and improve coordination, so families are not left to navigate complex systems on their own.
Do you support initiatives to recruit, train and retain a more diverse maternal and infant health workforce?
A maternal and infant health workforce that reflects the communities it serves can strengthen trust, communication and continuity of care. I would build on the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce recommendations by expanding education and apprenticeship pathways, scholarships and loan repayment, clinical placements in underserved communities, and support for community-based doula and community health worker careers. Recruitment must be paired with fair compensation, supportive workplaces and clear advancement opportunities so Wisconsin can retain the people it trains.
What role should hospitals and health systems play in reducing racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes? Would you support statewide quality improvement initiatives or reporting requirements?
Hospitals and health systems should be accountable partners in eliminating racial disparities. They can leverage existing health assessment and improvement-planning processes to identify needs and improve population health. Wisconsin should strengthen this infrastructure so inequities are not hidden within statewide averages.
This requires consistent public reporting of maternal and infant health outcomes by race and geography, strong alignment between local and state efforts, and measurable goals. In addition, hospitals should partner directly with communities to set priorities and design solutions.
Ultimately, quality improvement must be measured by change. When assessments reveal racial disparities, institutions must shift resources to improve outcomes.
Should state government address non-medical factors such as housing stability, nutrition, transportation, environmental exposures and economic opportunity that affect infant and maternal health?
Housing, income, transportation, environmental conditions, food security, paid leave, and child care are maternal and infant health issues because they shape the conditions in which people experience pregnancy, recover from childbirth and raise their children.
I support coordinated investments in affordable housing, nutrition, transportation, environmental protections, paid family and medical leave, affordable child care, and economic security. If we are serious about improving maternal and infant health, we have to invest not only in health care, but in the conditions that make health possible.
Wisconsin does not have an infant death review board as it does for maternal deaths. Do you support creating such a board?
Wisconsin should establish an infant death review system that complements the existing maternal mortality review process. Many states establish a local process, which is a national best practice. Regardless, the process should examine medical and non-medical contributing factors, identify preventable patterns, protect family privacy and issue regular public recommendations. The goal should be learning and prevention — not blame — and the board should include clinicians, public health professionals, community representatives, and people with lived experience.
If elected, would you support specific funding priorities in a state budget to reduce Black infant mortality?
My budget priorities include expanding health coverage, doula and community health worker reimbursement, nurse home visiting, maternal mental health services, prenatal care access, telehealth, paid family leave, and grants for community-led birth equity programs.
Reducing Black infant mortality requires us to be intentional about racial disparities, but these investments also improve outcomes for all Wisconsin families.
Would you support state funding for services such as community health workers or access to doulas care?
Community health workers and doulas provide trusted, culturally responsive support before, during and after birth. I would fund these services through Medicaid reimbursement and sustainable state grants that reflect the true cost of providing these services. Funding should include family-supporting compensation, benefits and training for these workers — not require workers or community organizations to subsidize essential health care through underpaid or uncompensated labor.
Families should be able to choose CHW and doula support without cost or geography becoming a barrier, and the people providing support should be able to build sustainable careers doing this work.
Would you be willing to set measurable goals during your term to reduce Black infant mortality and improve birth outcomes? How would the public know whether your policies are working?
I would establish clear statewide goals to improve maternal and infant health outcomes for all Wisconsin families, with specific goals for reducing Black infant mortality and narrowing persistent racial disparities in birth outcomes.
Those goals should include interim benchmarks developed in partnership with DHS, local health departments, health systems, tribal nations, community organizations, and families. The state should publish an annual dashboard reporting infant mortality, preterm birth, low birth weight, prenatal care access, postpartum follow-up, and other key measures by race and geography.
The public should see where outcomes are improving, where disparities persist and how state investments are performing.
Are there any other state policies or additional funding you believe would improve access to maternal care and decrease infant mortality disparities?
Improving maternal care also requires investments in the conditions that shape health before and after birth. I would support policies that strengthen housing stability, food security, transportation, environmental health, paid leave, child care, and early education. I would also expand access to telehealth and community-based care so rural families and families facing transportation or provider shortages can receive consistent support.
Ultimately, reducing infant mortality requires both a strong health care system and policies that give families the resources and stability necessary to be healthy.
Describe an issue on which you would be willing to work across party lines to improve maternal and infant health.
I would work across party lines to create a statewide infant death review system and expand evidence-based home visiting, doula care and rural maternal health services. These are practical steps that can improve care, identify preventable causes of infant death and give policymakers better information about where resources are needed. Maternal and infant health should be an area where legislators can set politics aside and focus on results for families.
Explain your overall vision for ensuring that every baby born in Wisconsin has an equal opportunity for a healthy start in life, regardless of race or ZIP code.
Every baby born in Wisconsin should have an equal opportunity for a healthy start — but that work begins long before a baby is born.
Healthy pregnancies are shaped across the life course: by whether people can access health care before pregnancy, whether families have stable housing and economic security, whether parents can take paid time to recover and care for a newborn, and whether communities have trusted providers and resources close to home.
My vision is a Wisconsin that improves maternal and infant health for everyone while being intentional about eliminating the racial and geographic disparities that have persisted for far too long. Those goals are not in competition. Many of the investments that can help close the Black infant mortality gap … can strengthen families across our state, including rural communities facing significant health care shortages.
Families and communities should help shape these solutions and government should be accountable for results. We should publicly measure whether outcomes are improving, whether disparities are closing and whether our investments are reaching the people who need them most.
A healthy start should not depend on a family’s race, income, employer or ZIP code. Wisconsin has both the responsibility and the ability to build the conditions in which every family can thrive.
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