Top 25 Innovators - 2019

In Detroit, the infant death rate for African-American babies remains twice as high as the rate for white babies. To address this problem, Wisdom founded the Henry Ford Health System’s Women-Inspired Neighborhood Network. The program uses midwives, social workers and others to connect with African-American mothers to address social determinants of health. Since launching, there have been no preventable infant deaths among program participants. Only 7% of babies were born with low birth weights, compared with 14% across Detroit; 94% of mothers initiated breastfeeding. Mothers also experienced dramatic rises in the use of social services, including nutrition, meditation and family planning.