End of Year Reminder

The Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation will be closed for the Holiday Season (December 24th through January 1st) to allow staff to spend time with their families.

Please continue to offer referrals to First Breath during this time. All individuals referred will be contacted the week of January 2nd, 2025.

2024 First Breath Provider Survey

Your feedback makes First Breath stronger and more effective.

First Breath is committed to providing relevant, responsive programming. Please take 15 minutes out of your day to share your HONEST feedback with us. 

As a "thank you" for your time and effort, we will randomly select 10 survey respondents to receive a $10 gift card.

The survey is anonymous. We will collect your contact information for the gift card drawing, but it will not be linked to your survey data.  

We are excited to announce the launch of the First Breath Spanish Referral Form.

* Please share feedback or suggestions with us.

"I smoked for 20-some years and I am 36 years old. I found out I was pregnant and I had a lot of health issues. When I was about 25 weeks pregnant I found out my baby had a lot of issues too. I was so stressed that I didn’t quit. I had my daughter at 30 weeks and 4 days. She remained in the NICU for 2 months. That’s when I decided to give up smoking – to be in better health for not only myself but for my kids.

I don’t think I would have been able to do it if it wasn’t for the help from [my health educator]. She was there for me when I really needed her. It was about 2 weeks after I quit that my daughter came home from the hospital. I haven’t smoked for 4 months now, I can breathe better, and my health issues are getting under control. Thank you First Breath for helping me with my addiction."

First Breath Provider Training

We look forward to working with you to support pregnant and parenting people and to improve maternal and child health in Wisconsin!

COMPLETE OUR

ONLINE TRAINING!

If you have not already completed since July 2022, we are asking all First Breath sites & referring staff to complete this 1-hour training.

Do you submit First Breath Referrals via Fax?

Our FAX Number is 855.746.8502

Staffing Updates

Meet our New Health Educator and Outreach Coordinator

Lacey holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing science and is a licensed Registered Nurse. Lacey has spent her career working with women in rural Wisconsin in labor and delivery as well as in a women’s health clinic. She has been a Neonatal Resuscitation Instructor and is a Certified Lactation Consultant. Lacey has been an advocate for improving the maternal population’s access to resources. Welcome Lacey!



Congratulations to the First Breath sites with the highest number of referrals for pregnant and postpartum people year-to-date:

1. Aurora Medical Group - Marinette - 38
2. Ascension St. Joseph Women's Outpatient Center - 35
3. Auora Health Center - Oshkosh - 35
4. Health and Nutrition Service of Racine, Inc. - 32
5. Milwaukee Women's Care Center - 27
6. Beloit Health System - Beloit Clinic - 21
7. Columbia St. Mary's OBGYN Residency Clinic Women's Hospital - 21
8. UW Health 20 S. Park Clinic - 21
9. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan - 19
10. UW Health Union Corners - 17
11. Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. - 14
12. Aspirus Stevens Point - 13
13. Froedtert Hospital Clinics (OB/GYN & MFCC) - 13

Motivational Interviewing 101

Join a 90 - minute webinar on January 9, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. CT presented by Maine Health Center for Tobacco Independence to learn more about motivational interviewing.

The webinar explores some concepts and strategies that can increase engagement with patients while discussing their smoking behavior. Concepts such as ambivalence, and the spirit of Motivational Interviewing (MI) are examined. Strategies such as open - ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summarizing are discussed. In addition, skills such as listening for and encouraging change talk and dealing with discord are examined.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

10:00am-11:00am

Topic: Self - Care: Awareness, Acknowledgement, Action

Thursday, May 22, 2025

2:00pm-3:00pm

Topic: Change Your Diet Mindset: The Basics of a Health Eating Pattern

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

2:00pm-3:00pm

Topic: Coping with Stress Through Journaling

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

10:00am-11:00am

Topic: Better Sleep: What's Getting in The Way?

First Breath is Wisconsin's program to help people make positive changes to their tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use during pregnancy & beyond.

First Breath is operated by the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation with funding from the Wisconsin Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Treatment Program & Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services.