[solemn music]
- Nathan: The harsh reality is from the first day they're born,
Black babies are much less likely to thrive
and more likely to die than white infants in Wisconsin.
The same holds true for their mothers.
In fact, this has been true since the first infant
and maternal mortality data was gathered in 1912.
- I think one of the big things that people don't realize
is that this is a problem that we have identified
more than a century ago.
- Nathan: Tiffany Green is a professor
for population health sciences at UW-Madison.
She says that while overall, maternal mortality
has greatly decreased in the last century,
the gap between Black and white mothers and infants
has persisted, especially in Wisconsin.
- Tiffany: We still unfortunately
have among the highest Black infant mortality rates
in the country,
meaning Black babies that don't reach their first birthday.
- If we live in a Wisconsin umumumumuwhere everybody
is able to reach their highest potential,
everybody needs access to a provider.
- Nathan: While expanded coverage remains elusive,
health officials look to fill the gaps
and improve the outcomes wherever they can.
For Here & Now, I'm Nathan Denzin.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF WISCONSIN
BUT A PARTY ISN'T THE PARTY IN A
CASE.
DOES THAT HOLD UP IN TERMS OF
IMPEACHMENT?
>> IN TERMS OF IMPEACHMENT,
THAT'S UNCLEAR.
THAT WAS PART OF THE CAMPAIGN
THAT WASN'T PART OF HER TIME IN
OFFICE, SO IT SHOULDN'T AFFECT
IMPEACHMENT,
BUT ...TEST...
...TEST... ...TEST... ...TEST...
FROCK CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL
INTEREST GROUPS IN SAYING THAT
THEY'VE ALL
ABOUT
>> THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS A
PBS WISCONSIN ORIGINAL
PRODUCTION.
>> ABOUT-FACE DECISIONS WAIVER
OVER WHETHER TO IMPEACH THE
STATE SUPREME COURT'S NEWEST
JUSTICE, AND HEATED DEBATE AT
THE CAPITOL ENSUES OVER BILLS
THAT WILL IMPACT PEOPLE WHO ARE
TRANSGENDER.
I'M FREDERICA FREYBERG, TONIGHT
ON "HERE & NOW," SENIOR
POLITICAL REPORTER, ZAC SCHULTZ,
HAS THE LATEST ON THREATS TO
IMPEACH JUSTICE JANET
PROTASIEWICZ.
THEN A LOOK AT GENDER-AFFIRMING
CARE FROM A MEDICAL POINT OF
VIEW.
SCHOLARS FROM A FEDERAL PROGRAM
CHALLENGE CALLS TO DE-FUND
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
PROGRAMS, AND THE NEXT
INSTALLMENT OF WISCONSIN IN
BLACK AND WHITE, THE RACIAL
WEALTH GAP.
IT'S "HERE & NOW" FOR OCTOBER
13.
>> FUNDING FOR "HERE & NOW" IS
PROVIDED BY THE FOCUS FUND FOR
JOURNALISM AND FRIENDS OF PBS
WISCONSIN.
?
>> WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH MAJOR
MOVEMENT IN AN IMPORTANT CASE
AFFECTING VOTERS ACROSS THE
STATE.
THE LAWSUIT OVER WISCONSIN'S
CURRENT LEGISLATIVE BOUNDARY
MAPS IS NOW BEING FAST-TRACKED
IN THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT
WITH ORAL ARGUMENTS SET FOR
NOVEMBER.
>> THAT'S AFTER LIBERAL JUSTICE
JANET PROTASIEWICZ DECLINED TO
RECUSE OR STEP ASIDE FROM THE
CASE AND THE LIBERAL MAJORITY ON
THE COURT RULED TO TAKE UP THE
REDISTRICTING LAWSUIT.
REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
ROBIN VOS HAD MOVED TO PURSUE
IMPEACHING HER OVER STATEMENTS
SHE MADE DURING HER CAMPAIGN
THAT THE LEGISLATIVE MAPS ARE
RIGGED AND UNFAIR.
IN HER DECISION TO REJECT
RECUSING, JANET PROTASIEWICZ
WROTE, "NO OTHER JUSTICE HAS
DECIDED THAT THEY MUST RECUSE,
EVEN THOUGH THEIR PRIOR
WRITINGS, INCLUDING FROM JUST
LAST YEAR, MIGHT INDICATE FIRM
PRECONCEPTIONS OF CERTAIN ISSUES
IN THIS ACTION, AND IF
PREJUDGMENT IS THE CONCERN," SHE
WROTE, "THEIR WRITINGS ARE JUST
AS RELEVANT AT MY CAMPAIGN
REMARKS."
VOS ASKED WHETHER IMPEACHING
PROTASIEWICZ WAS POSSIBLE.
ONE OF THEM, DAVID PROSSER, TOLD
THE SPEAKER NOT TO TRY SAYING,
QUOTE, IMPEACHMENT IS SO
SYRIAIOUS, SEVERE AND RARE, THAT
IT SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED
UNLESS THE SUBJECT HAS COMMITTED
A CRIME OR THE SUBJECT HAS
COMMITTED INDISPUTABLE CORRUPT
CONDUCT WHILE IN OFFICE.
IN TURN, ROBIN VOS RELEASED A
STATEMENT ON THE MATTER SAYING,
"JUSTICE PROTASIEWICZ SHOULD
HAVE RECUSED HERSELF.
WE THINK THE UNITED STATES
SUPREME COURT PRECEDENT COMPELS
HER RECUSAL AND THE UNITED
STATES SUPREME COURT WILL HAVE
THE LAST WORD HERE."
CONSERVATIVE JUSTICE REBECCA
BRADLEY ALSO HAS HER EYE ON THE
PERSUASION OF THE NATION'S HIGH
COURT.
IN HER DISSENT OVER THE
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT TAKING
UP THE REDISTRICTING LAWSUIT,
BRADLEY WROTE, "PROTASIEWICZ'S
FAILURE TO RECUSE FROM THIS CASE
DESPITE BLATANT BIAS SHOULD BE
REVIEWED BY THE UNITED STATES
SUPREME COURT BEFORE WISCONSIN
TAXPAYERS ARE FORCED TO FOOT THE
BILL FOR A REDISTRICTING
DO-OVER."
SPEAKER VOS SAYS MOVING TO
IMPEACH JUSTICE PROTASIEWICZ IS
NOT OFF THE TABLE.
HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THIS,
SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, ZAC
SCHULTZ, AT THE CAPITOL.
HI, ZAC.
>> Reporter: HEY, FRED.
>> SO NOW VOS IS TYING POSSIBLE
IMPEACHMENT TO HOW SHE RULES ON
THE CASE, THAT SHE DID NOT
RECUSE HERSELF FROM, AND SAYING
THAT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
COULD BE THE DECIDER OVER ALL OF
THIS.
AS WE HEARD FROM JUSTICE REBECCA
BRADLEY, HE'S NOT ALONE IN
WANTING THIS TO GO ALL THE WAY
UP.
>> Reporter: WELL, AT THIS
POINT, THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE
THEY CAN GO BECAUSE THE
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT IS
CONTROLLED BY LIBERALS WHO WOULD
OBVIOUSLY NOT RULE IN FAVOR AND
WOULD SUPPORT JANET PROTASIEWICZ
IN HER RECUSAL DECISION.
SO THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE U.S.
SUPREME COURT, EITHER TO
OVERRULE HER DECISION NOT TO
RECUSE OR TO OVERRULE ANY
DECISION THAT WOULD COME DOWN
FROM THE MAJORITY IN THE SUPREME
COURT IN WISCONSIN ABOUT
CREATING NEW REDISTRICTING MAPS.
AFTER ALL, IT WAS THE U.S.
SUPREME COURT LAST TIME WHO
KICKED THE ORIGINAL CASE BACK TO
THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT,
WHICH THEN PUT IN PLACE THOSE
CONSERVATIVE MAPS THAT WE ARE
UNDER.
REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME AROUND,
THE SUPREME COURT WITH JUSTICE
HAGEDORN, SIDED WITH GOVERNOR
EVERS AND CHOSE DEMOCRATIC MAPS
UNTIL THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
SAID NO.
>> HOW SURPRISING WAS IT THAT
FORMER JUSTICE PROSSER AND
ANOTHER CONSERVATIVE, FORMER
JUSTICE TOLD VOS THAT THERE
SHOULD BE NO EFFORT TO IMPEACH
PROTASIEWICZ?
>> Reporter: WELL, THESE ARE
CONSERVATIVES FROM THE SUPREME
COURT, BUT THEY'RE STILL FORMER
MEMBERS OF THE SUPREME COURT.
SO IT'S NOT SURPRISING THEY
WOULD TRY AND READ THE LAW IN
ITS PLAIN LANGUAGE AND IT
CLEARLY TALKS ABOUT CONTEMPT
CONDUCT AND CORRUPT CONDUCT IN
OFFICE.
ALL THESE CAME ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL BEFORE JANET WAS JUSTICE
PROTASIEWICZ, SO IT'S PRETTY
CLEAR THAT THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD
HAVE BEEN READ.
IF YOU WERE ACIDIC, ALWAYS ARGUE
YOU CAN FIND ANY JUSTICE
SOMEWHERE TO TRY AND SAY WHAT
YOU WANT IT TO SAY, SO I THINK
YOU COULD ALSO READ INTO THAT
THAT SPEAKER VOS SIMPLY DOESN'T
HAVE THE VOTES RIGHT NOW IN THE
ASSEMBLY TO IMPEACH, IF HE
WANTED TO, AND THAT HE WOULD
NEED SUPPORT FROM OUTSIDE PLACES
LIKE FORMER JUSTICES TO SAY,
YES, YOU SHOULD DO THIS, IN
ORDER TO BRING THE REST OF THIS
CAUCUS ALONG.
>> THERE WAS ALSO THE ARGUMENT
THAT PROTASIEWICZ SHOULD STEP
ASIDE BECAUSE SHE GOT CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DEMOCRATIC
PARTY OF WISCONSIN BUT THE PARTY
ISN'T A PARTY IN THE CASE.
DOES THAT HOLD UP IN TERMS OF
IMPEACHMENT?
>> Reporter: IN TERMS OF
IMPEACHMENT, THAT'S UNCLEAR.
THAT WAS PART OF THE CAMPAIGN.
THAT WASN'T PART OF HER TIME IN
OFFICE, SO IT SHOULDN'T AFFECT
IMPEACHMENT, BUT IT WAS
SOMETHING THAT SHE SPOKE TO IN
HER RECUSAL, IN HER DECISION NOT
TO RECUSE FROM THESE CASES,
WHERE SHE SAID THAT THE AMOUNT
OF MONEY THAT WAS CONTRIBUTED BY
A NONPARTY THAT WASN'T BEFORE
HER AT THE TIME THE MONEY WAS
CONTRIBUTED SHOULD HAVE NO
IMPACT ON HER AGENT TO GYMNASIUM
THIS -- ABILITY TO DECIDE THIS
CASE.
SHE POINTED TO OTHER JUDGES WHO
RECEIVED FUNDING FROM
CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL INTEREST
GROUPS AND SAYING THAT THEY'VE
ALL ABOUT INFLUENCED BY THIS AND
THEY DIDN'T RECUSE SO SHE
SHOULDN'T HAVE TO EITHER.
>> WHAT WAS PROTASIEWICZ SAYING
IT MIGHT CONFIRM PRECONCEPTIONS
ON THE REDISTRICTING ISSUE?
>> Reporter: WELL, REMEMBER,
REDISTRICTING WAS JUST BEFORE
THIS COURT IN THE LAST SESSION
AND EVERYONE WROTE ON THIS.
THEY WROTE THEIR OWN DISSENTS,
THEY WROTE THEIR MAJORITY
OPINIONS, SO EVERYONE IS ON THE
RECORD IN TERMS OF HOW THEY DID
DECIDE THIS CASE.
NOW, THESE APPEALS ARE BASED ON
SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT
THEY SAY WEREN'T ADDRESSED AT
THIS TIME.
THE CONSERVATIVES SAY, WELL,
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE DON'T
NEED TO TAKE.
WE JUST DECIDED THAT THIS IS THE
PRECEDENT THAT WE SHOULD BE
GOING ON UNTIL 10 YEARS FROM NOW
AND THE LIBERALS ON THE COURT
ARE SAYING, NO, THIS IS
SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT.
IT'S A NEW ANGLE.
OF COURSE IT HELPS WHEN AT THE
TIME MAJORITY SO THEY CAN SAY
THAT -- WHEN AT THE THEY HAVE THE
MAJORITY.
THAT COULD BE THE BASIS OF
PRECONCEPTIONS, BUT THAT'S ALSO
WHY THE SUPREME COURT TYPICALLY
DOESN'T DECIDE THE SAME CASE
MULTIPLE SESSIONS IN A ROW ONCE
THEY DECIDE IT STANDS UNLESS
THERE'S A NEW ANGLE, WHICH IS
WHAT THEY SAY GROUPS ARE SAYING
IS THE REASON WHY THE COURTS
SHOULD TAKE THIS ISSUE UP NOW.
>> BACK TO THIS ISSUE OF RECUSAL
WITH JUST ABOUT A HALF A MINUTE
LEFT, WHAT HAPPENS IF JANET
PROTASIEWICZ WAS COMPELLED IN
THE END BY THE HIGH COURT TO
RECUSE?
>> Reporter: WELL, IF SHE'S
NOT ON IT, THEN THERE'S ONLY SIX
JUSTICES LEFT.
THEY'RE SPLIT 3-3.
JUSTICE HAGEDORN WOULD BE A
SWING VOTE, BUT WE SAW FROM HIS
DISSENT IN THE DECISION TO TAKE
THE CASE THAT HE DOESN'T THINK
THE COURT NEEDS TO REVISIT THIS
ISSUE, SO MONTH MORE LIKELY THAN NOT,
IT WOULD BE DEADLOCKED AND
NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN.
>> ZAC SCHULTZ, THANKS A LOT.
>> THANK YOU, FRED.
>> IMPASSIONED TESTIMONY AT THE
CAPITOL CULMINATED IN HEATED
DEBATE OVER LEGISLATION
TARGETING TRANSGENDER CHILDREN.
ONE OF THE BILLS FORM OF HORMONE
TREATMENTS OR SURGERY.
THE REPUBLICAN AUTHORED
LEGISLATION SPARKED THESE WORDS
FROM ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS.
>> SO JUST BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE
IN SCIENCE TODAY SAY THAT THIS
IS SETTLED THAT WE ARE GOING TO
MUTILATE CHILDREN BEFORE WE
ALLOW THEM TO GET A TATTOO,
BEFORE THEY DECIDE ON MANY
THINGS THAT WE SAY AS A SOCIETY
THEY CANNOT DECIDE, AND FOR ALL
OF YOU W.H.O. WHO HAVE SPONSORED THE
BILL TO SAY WE HAVE TO HAVE
17-YEAR-OLDS TREATED AS PRISON
BECAUSE THEY CAN'T BE ADMITTED
TO ADULT COURT BECAUSE THEIR
BRAINS AREN'T FORMULATED, GIVE
ME A BREAK!
SO YOU SAY THAT KIDS AREN'T OLD
ENOUGH TO KNOW RIGHT AND WRONG
WHEN THEY COMMIT AID CRIME, BUT
SOMEHOW PERMANENT BODILY
CHANGES, THAT, WHEN YOU'RE 3
YEARS OLD, YOU'VE GOT IT ALL
FIGURED OUT.
THIS IS BALONEY!
>> TO HEAR FROM A MEDICAL POINT
OF VIEW, WE SPEAK WITH BILL
KEETON, CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFER AT
SURVIVENT HEALTH, A CLINIC THAT
FOCUSES ON SERVICING LGBTQ
CLIENTS.
AS TO THE SPEAKER'S COMMENT THAT
CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS THREE ARE
UNDERGOING PERMANENT BODILY
CHANGES, IS THAT ACCURATE?
>> TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE,
I'VE NOT HEARD OF ANY INSTANCES
WHERE SOMEONE THAT YOUNG HAS
BEEN IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'VE
HAD, WHETHER IT'S GENDER
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY OR TAKING
THINGS LIKE HORMONES OR PUBERTY
BLOCKERS TO TREAT GENDER
DYSPHORIA LIKE WHAT'S BEING
DISCUSSED TODAY.
>> WHAT DOES MEDICALLY
RECOGNIZED GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE
INVOLVE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE
AGE OF 18?
>> IT INVOLVES A LOT OF
DIFFERENT COMPONENTS.
PROBABLY FIRST AND FOREMOST IS
THE REALLY INTENTIONAL
ENGAGEMENT OF THAT INDIVIDUAL'S
PARENTS WITH A TEAM OF PROVIDERS
WHO ARE REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT
IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF THAT
CHILD.
THAT'S GOING TO INCLUDE THINGS
LIKE TALK THERAPY AND
TRADITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH.
IT MIGHT INCLUDE THINGS LIKE
PSYCHIATRY.
AND IF THE TEAM COMES TOGETHER,
THE PARENT OR PARENTS IN THIS
CASE COME TOGETHER WITH THE TEAM
OF PROVIDERS AND THEIR CHILD TO
DETERMINE THAT SOMETHING LIKE
GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY IS
NECESSARY, THEN THAT'S THE
COURSE OF TREATMENT THAT'S GOING
TO BE FOUND AND SOUGHT OUT.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF
CONSULTATION, A LOT OF
DISCUSSION, A LOT OF EDUCATION
OF THE PARENT AND THE CHILD OF
WHAT THIS IS GOING TO MEAN FOR
THAT INDIVIDUAL FOR THE REST OF
THEIR LIVES AND IT'S NOT THE
STANDARD COURSE.
I SHOULDN'T SAY IT'S NOT THE
STANDARD COURSE.
IT'S NOT THE ONLY COURSE.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
APPROACHES TO HELPING SUPPORT
FOLKS WHO ARE LIVING WITH NOT
FEELING LIKE THEIR PHYSICAL BODY
MATCHES HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT
THEMSELVES.
>> BUT IN TERMS OF THAT GENDER
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY, IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS, YOU
KNOW, IN YOUNG TEENAGERS?
OR EVEN OLDER ONES?
OR IS IT GENERALLY SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE WHEN THEY ARE
ADULTS?
>> THE RESEARCH AND LITERATURE
I'VE SEEN ON THIS LENDS ITSELF
TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS LATER ON
IN AN INDIVIDUAL'S LIFE.
THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY REALLY
RECOGNIZED THAT THEY ARE GOING
THROUGH A SIGNIFICANT STEP WITH
THIS PATIENT AND THEY WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE IN A
POSITION TO MAKE THAT DECISION
FULLY FROM A WELL-INFORMED
POSITION.
>> BUT THIS KIND OF CARE WOULD
INCLUDE PUBERTY-BLOCKING DRUGS
OR HORMONES, AND IF SO, AT WHAT
AGE AND UNDER, AGAIN, WHAT
CONDITIONS WOULD THESE BE
AFFORDED?
>> THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
APPROACHES.
IT'S INDIVIDUALIZED FOR EACH ONE
OF THE PATIENTS.
THERE'S NO STANDARD ON THIS DAY,
AFTER THIS MANY ROUNDS OF
TREATMENT, WE'RE GOING TO START
TREATMENT "X," "Y," OR "Z."
SO IS IT THE SAME IN EVERY CASE?
THE ANSWER IS NO.
THIS SORT OF CARE IS VERY
NATURALLY TAILORED AND
INDIVIDUALIZED FOR THE
INDIVIDUAL WHO IS SEEKING IT.
>> BECAUSE WHAT KIND OF CARE AND
CAUTION DO HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
ENTER INTO WITH CHILDREN AND
THEIR PARENTS AS THEY GO THROUGH
THIS COURSE OF TREATMENT?
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF
CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO
HAPPEN, MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR
THE PATIENT.
THE INITIATION OF THINGS LIKE
PUBERTY BLOCKERS OR HORMONE
THERAPY, THOSE ARE IS NOT NOT
NECESSARILY PERMANENT
APPROACHES.
THEY WILL CHANGE THE
INDIVIDUAL'S PHYSIOLOGY IN SOME
WAYS SO THAT IT MORE CLOSELY
REPRESENTS HOW THAT INDIVIDUAL
EXPERIENCES THEIR GENDER, WHICH
IS AN INTERNAL, ALMOST
PSYCHOLOGICAL SORT OF THING.
AND IF THAT CHANGES THE ABILITY
TO WITHDRAW OR STOP RECEIVING
THAT, WILL HAVE THE IMPACT OF
BRINGING THAT PERSON'S GENDER
EXPRESSION BACK TOWARDS THEIR
PHYSIOLOGICAL.
>> AND SO IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE
KINDS OF DRUGS ARE REVERSIBLE.
>> CORRECT.
>> WHY DOES YOUR HEALTHCARE
PRACTICE IT AND OTHERS BELIEVE
THAT IT IS INJURE RUSS TO
PROHIBIT GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE
FOR CHILDREN AND FOR THEM TO
WAIT UNTIL THEY'RE 18 TO GET
THAT KIND OF CARE?
>> WELL, I THINK IF WE LOOK AT
SOMETHING LIKE GENDER DYSPHORIA
AND THE FOLKS WHO ARE SEEKING
THIS OUT, IT'S NOT A COSMETIC OR
ESTHETIC APPROACH.
IT'S NOT A TATTOO.
THIS IS RECOGNIZED TREATMENT,
DEVELOPED WITH PROTOCOLS,
DEVELOPED BY LEADING PROVIDERS
IN THIS SPACE, THE AMERICAN
PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION, THE
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION,
AND OTHERS, AND THE IDEA THAT
SOMEONE IS EXPERIENCING A
CONDITION THAT HAS TREATMENTS
AVAILABLE FOR IT THAT HAVE BEEN
RIGOROUSLY STUDIED AND PROVEN TO
BE EFFECTIVE AND SAFE FOR THAT
INDIVIDUAL, TO WITHHOLD THAT
BECAUSE OF SOMEONE'S AGE SEEMS
TO BE CRUEL TO ME IN SOME WAYS.
THAT'S WHERE THE JURY INJURY COMES
IN.
WE STIGMA STIGMATIZE FOLKS FOURTH TO
THE FRINGES OF SOCIETY.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> GOVERNOR TONY EVERS WILL VETO
THIS BILL AND TWO OTHERS RELATED
TO TRANSGENDER SPORTS
RESTRICTIONS.
ALSO AT THE CAPITOL, REPUBLICANS
COULD WITHHOLD PAY RAISES FOR
STATE EMPLOYEES OVER DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION POSITIONS AT THE
UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN, BUT
FEDERAL DOLLARS CONTINUE TO FUND
A PROGRAM OFFERED AT SEVEN OF
THE UNIVERSITIES THAT HELPS
UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS
NAVIGATE HIGHER ADDICTION.
ADITI DEBNATH HAS MORE ON THAT
PROGRAM'S IMPACT ON THE
UW-OSHKOSH CAMPUS.
>> ORIGINALLY WHEN I WENT INTO
McNAIR, I WANTED TO BE A
MEDICAL ILLUSTRATOR.
I WANTED TO DRAW PICTURES FOR
TEXTBOOKS, THOSE POSTERS YOU SEE
IN DOCTORS' OFFICES BECAUSE I
REALLY LIKE TO DRAW, BUT NOW I'M
NOT TRYING TO DO THAT AT ALL.
NOW I'M TRYING TO GET A Ph.D.
IN BIOTECHNOLOGY.
>> Reporter: DOMINIC IS A
UW-OSHKOSH McNAIR SCHOLAR.
HE JUST COMPLETED THE PROGRAM
SUMMER RESEARCH WHICH CULMINATES
IN A PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF HIS
FINDINGS.
>> McNAIR IS REALLY A ONE-STOP
SHOP FOR FIRST GENERATION
UNDERREPRESENTED AND LOW INCOME
STUDENTS.
>> Reporter: THIS FEDERALLY
FUNDED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IS
DEEMED A SUCCESS BY THOSE IN IT.
EVEN AS REPUBLICANS IN THE
LEGISLATURE WANT TO PROHIBIT
STATE FUNDED PROGRAMS AIMED AT
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
THE McNAIR PROGRAM GRANTS ITS
SCHOLARS $4,000 TO CONDUCT THEIR
OWN RESEARCH AND RECEIVE
ONE-ON-ONE MENTORSHIP FROM A
FACULTY MEMBER.
>> RESEARCH I'LL BE PROTECT
TODAY IS ON BACTERIA AND LAKE
WINNEBAGO.
>> BRITNEY DUPREE BE ALSO DIDN'T
KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT BEFORE
BECOMING A McNAIR SCHOLAR.
>> I WAS LOOKING AT PRAIRIE
RESTORATION AROUND CENTRAL
WISCONSIN.
>> Reporter: THE PROGRAM'S
DIRECTOR, CORDELIA, SAYS
McNAIR IS PART OF A PIPELINE
OF PROGRAMS THAT HELPS STUDENTS
FROM DISADVANTAGED PROGRAMS BE
SUCCESSFUL IN COLLEGE.
>> IT HAS A LONG TRACK RECORD OF
HUGE SUCCESS, IT HAS BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT IN WASHINGTON.
>> Reporter: BOWLUS IS
REFERRING TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
FUNDING DESIGNATED TO PROMOTE
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
IN EDUCATION.
>> OF THE APPROXIMATELY 200
STUDENTS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH
OUR PROGRAM IN THE LAST 16
YEARS, 60 PEST OF THEM ARE
EITHER -- 60% OF THEM ARE EITHER
IN GRADUATE SCHOOLS OR HAVE
CAREERS.
>> Reporter: THIS YEAR,
UW-OSHKOSH WILL RECEIVE $260,000
FROM McNAIR AND IS ONE OF
SEVEN UNIVERSITIES IN WISCONSIN
THAT OFFERS THE PROGRAM.
>> THEY'RE IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THEY ENRICH THE UNIVERSITY.
>> Reporter: PROGRAM
COORDINATOR AT UW-OSHKOSH,
DR. BELYNDA PINKSTON, ADVISES
McNAIR SCHOLARS THROUGH EACH
STEP OF THE PROGRAM.
>> WE MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO
FOCUS ON PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR
OUR SCHOLARS AND PROVIDING AN
ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY FEEL
SUPPORTED AND WHICH THEY FEEL
SEEN AND HEARD.
>> Reporter: BEYOND THAT,
PROGRAMS LIKE McNAIR GIVE
STUDENTS THE SPACE TO CONNECT
WITH PEERS THAT HAVE SIMILAR
EXPERIENCES AND INSPIRE THE NEXT
GENERATION.
>> I THINK WE DO A GOOD JOB KIND
OF OF REPRESENTING WHAT
EDUCATION CAN DO FOR PEOPLE AND
WHERE IT CAN LEAD.
>> Reporter: HIS MOTHER,
BLANCA JUAREZ, TRAVELED TO
OSHKOSH TO SEE HIS PRESENTATION.
>> I'M A REALLY, REALLY PROUD
MAMA BECAUSE I KNOW HE'S DOING
WHAT'S IN HIS HEART.
HE REALLY WANTS TO DO IT, HE
WANTS TO CLEAN THE LAKE, AND
HOPEFULLY OLDER STUDENTS
CONTINUE WITH THIS PROGRAM AND
WITH THIS PROGRAM THAT THEY
CHOSE THIS SUMMER.
>> DR. PINKSTON, WHO ONCE WAS A
FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE
STUDENT, SAYS PROMOTING
DIVERSITY AND HIGHER EDUCATION
IS JUST AS BENEFICIAL TO A
COMMUNITY AS IT IS TO EACH
STUDENT.
>> AND SO IT'S NOT JUST
INTRINSIC, WHAT AM I GOING TO
GET OUT OF THIS.
IT'S ABOUT HOW CAN I GIVE BACK,
AND WE HELP CULTIVATE THAT
DESIRE IN THEM TO GIVE BACK.
>> Reporter: FOR BRITNEY
DUPREE AND HER MOTHER, McNAIR
REALLY IS ABOUT ENABLING THE
NEXT GENERATION.
>> I AM A PERSON ABOUT SCHOOL.
I WOULD SUPPORT HER IN ANY WAY.
I AM SO PROUD OF HER AND WHAT
SHE'S ACHIEVED SO FAR.
>> Reporter: FOR "HERE & NOW,"
I'M ADITI DEBNATH.
[solemn music]
- Nathan: The harsh reality is from the first day they're born,
Black babies are much less likely to thrive
and more likely to die than white infants in Wisconsin.
The same holds true for their mothers.
In fact, this has been true since the first infant
and maternal mortality data was gathered in 1912.
- I think one of the big things that people don't realize
is that this is a problem that we have identified
more than a century ago.
- Nathan: Tiffany Green is a professor
for population health sciences at UW-Madison.
She says that while overall, maternal mortality
has greatly decreased in the last century,
the gap between Black and white mothers and infants
has persisted, especially in Wisconsin.
- Tiffany: We still unfortunately
have among the highest Black infant mortality rates
in the country,
meaning Black babies that don't reach their first birthday.
Black birthing people have about
five times the pregnancy-related mortality rate
relative to their white counterparts in Wisconsin.
- In general, we are leaders in the nation
as it relates to many of the inequities that we see.
- Nathan: Dr. Jasmine Zapata is the chief medical officer
for community health
at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
- There's no one answer.
We could talk about this for hours and hours.
It's multifactorial.
- Nathan: Advocates say one potential reason
we see disparities is because health care providers
can carry implicit biases into the clinic.
- So a lot of times when we talk about implicit bias
and talk about racism in our health care system,
a lot of people think about, like,
direct, interpersonal racism
where somebody would come up to me and say,
"I don't want you to treat me 'cause you're Black."
That's not a lot of what we see.
A lot of it is unintentional.
- Nathan: Because of those unintentional biases,
Zapata says Black people are less likely
to go to a doctor when something is wrong,
which can lead to worse health outcomes.
- There are many people,
especially in the maternal and child health fields,
that have access, that have insurance,
and they're still not attending their health care appointments.
Just because you have insurance
and you can physically make an appointment,
is it somewhere that you feel safe and comfortable?
- Nathan: But while access to quality health care
can be a large driver in outcomes,
national data shows that even the infants
of the richest Black mothers suffer worse health outcomes
than the babies of the poorest white mothers.
- I think we focus a lot on hospitals and doctors
because that is something
we can easily wrap our heads around.
But the reality is there are a lot of reasons,
and I think they have a lot more to do
with the social environment.
- Nathan: And the societal environment
for Black Wisconsinites is one defined by racism.
When it comes to where Black Wisconsinites live,
only a quarter own their own home.
They face one of the highest income gaps in the country
and are five times more likely to live in a food desert
than white people.
- A lot of people have linked things like segregation,
things like the resource-deprived environments,
to the risk of prematurity, and those things matter.
- Nathan: Dr. Zapata says she experienced
this difference in outcomes firsthand
when she had her second child.
- I got pregnant with my second child, a little baby girl.
I was so excited, and she was due on January 2,
but on September 20,
I had a sharp pain in my lower abdomen.
- Nathan: When it happened,
she was in class for medical school
and knew something was wrong.
Doctors told her that it was just false labor,
but when she saw blood a few minutes later,
she went to the hospital.
- Ultimately, within two hours, I was in an emergency C-section,
and I delivered a one and a half-pound baby
who didn't cry when she came out.
When babies come out, they're supposed to be kicking,
screaming, crying.
It was completely silent.
- Nathan: Her daughter was then taken
to the neonatal intensive care unit to start her breathing.
- It was so hard for me at that moment
because I knew all the statistics
about Black birth outcomes.
- Nathan: After three weeks in the NICU, Zapata's baby
was able to thrive and is now a very healthy teenager,
but Zapata knew the outcome could have been much different.
- I knew that it was a honor that she was there with me
because there are so many other birthing people
and families, particularly Black women,
Black birthing people who do not have that same outcome.
- There are reasons above and beyond
sort of these individual-level characteristics
that don't explain why we are seeing these disparities.
- Nathan: But there is work being done to bring parity
to birth outcomes for Black mothers and infants.
In 2022, Governor Evers announced
$16 million in additional funding
for DHS to work on closing those gaps.
- We're currently working on this
with intensity and passion.
- Nathan: Dr. Zapata says there are three big things
that money is going toward: increasing access
to health care for Black mothers and infants,
educating current health care practitioners about the issues,
and increasing the number of Black doctors and nurses.
- We will have a bigger impact if we can go upstream
and focus on how can we eliminate some
of the very factors and social determinants of health
that cause some of these health outcomes
in the first place.
- Nathan: Along with the $16 million,
health care providers in Dane County have another effort
to improve the social determinants of health
called ConnectRx.
ConnectRx is a program that provides support
to pregnant Black people at risk.
- Making sure that families at risk
of losing their places are getting housing,
making sure that they are getting food.
I've heard, been privileged to hear stories
about people getting employment that they need.
- Nathan: The program also connects mothers
with doulas if they choose,
and with an individual community health worker,
both during pregnancy and after.
- I'm just stunned at the work that they've been able to do
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