In the News: Hoppe’s Staying Healthy After Childbirth project becomes UW-Madison PRC Core Research Project

The UW-Madison Prevention Research Center has adopted Staying Healthy After Childbirth (STAC), the postpartum hypertension monitoring project developed by Kara Hoppe, DO, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, as its Core Research Project for the next five years of its grant. The UW-Madison PRC is a member of the Prevention Research Centers Program, and is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
STAC provides postpartum patients who had high blood pressure during their pregnancy with a blood pressure monitor. The monitor is able to send alerts to nurses at Meriter Hospital to make sure patients are within a healthy blood pressure range during the six weeks after birth, a critical time where complications can arise. These messages can help both doctors and patients decide what management methods like blood pressure-lowering medications are needed.
STAC originally launched in 2019. Now, STAC is extending its resources to bridge the gap in care for Black women, who experience higher levels of hypertension during pregnancy in Wisconsin.
The announcement of the Core Research Project was shared in many media stories:
WKOW’s, “Blood pressure monitoring program for new and expectant mothers to expand,” mentioned the program’s expansion to include doula and public health organizations in an effort to connect more with the Black community.
In WPR, “Blood pressure program hopes to reach more new mothers in Dane, Milwaukee counties,” explored the dangers associated with high blood pressure following pregnancy. Hoppe spoke about the risk for stroke and organ damage due to hypertension postpartum.
“Forward Analytics report predicts staffing challenges in senior care industry; Maternal health monitoring program expanding through research project,” found in WisBusiness, elaborated more on STAC’s connection to the Prevention Research Center, with its director, Jill Denson saying, “We are expanding to partner with community advisory boards, community-based organizations, health care organizations and state programs so that they can adapt, refine and implement STAC, and we can share our findings to inform communities, policy, and future research.”
A feature in the Wisconsin State Journal, “UW gets $5 million to improve health for pregnant Black women and their babies,” explained the funding for STAC, which received a $5 million federal grant spread over five years from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
**by Ob-Gyn Communications Intern Paige Stevenson