Louisiana Launches Data Pilot to Boost WIC Enrollment and Maternal Health

Louisiana Launches an 18-Month Data Pilot to Connect Medicaid Families to WIC

“We have the data. We have the resources. Now we must put them to work,” said Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein. The department announced on November 4, 2026, that its Office of Public Health and Louisiana Medicaid are launching an 18-month pilot, supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, to share data and raise enrollment in WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, Pew Charitable Trusts reported.

Louisiana records a 14% preterm birth rate, 7.7 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births, and a maternal mortality rate of 41.9 per 100,000, according to the state’s own maternal and child health data indicators. WIC participation is consistently associated with reductions in infant mortality and improvements in diet quality and preventive care, a federal evidence review finds. The pilot’s immediate target is the gap between eligibility and enrollment: the two agencies will use combined data to identify Medicaid members who qualify for WIC but have not signed up.

A Data Team Built to End Siloed Records

Both agencies already collect extensive health data, but their systems support different programs and, as the Louisiana Department of Health’s announcement puts it, have traditionally been managed and analyzed separately. The pilot closes that gap by standing up a dedicated interagency data and analytics team of subject-matter experts, data scientists, and program leaders from both agencies, all housed within the Louisiana Department of Health.

“We know that so many Medicaid members are also eligible for WIC, and Louisianians should not have to duplicate work to apply for both programs if LDH already has the information on hand,” said Louisiana Medicaid Director Seth J. Gold.

Merging datasets that were built for different purposes is slow, and the payoff depends on agencies actually acting on what the data shows rather than filing it. The state’s answer is baked into the design: the team’s job is not just analysis but translating data into coordinated action, with the goal of targeting resources more effectively and lowering costs while keeping residents healthier.

From One Pilot to a Statewide Framework

The 18-month project is part of a broader Pew effort to help states use data they already hold, and Louisiana is one of several states running similar pilots that together will shape a set of resources and best practices any state could adopt.

“In the short term, data-driven collaborations like the one Louisiana is launching will help accelerate progress on key priorities like maternal and child health,” said David Hyun, who directs state health partnership work at Pew. “Longer term, the goal is for these partnerships to evolve into sustainable, flexible, statewide frameworks that are able to address a wide range of public health issues.”

Greenstein framed the same ambition in terms of results rather than process: connecting knowledge, identifying gaps, and investing where it matters most, with success measured as “healthier people and better lives across Louisiana.” If the pilot works, the model is meant to outlast WIC and be applied to a wide array of health challenges, giving Louisiana leaders a more complete picture of needs across the state.

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