BMO Harris Bank Invests in Milwaukee with $750,000 Gift to Help Even the Odds

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of BMO Harris Bank's ongoing commitment to make the communities it is part of stronger, the Bank today announced the donation of $750,000 over three years to United Way of Greater Milwaukee to promote healthy birth outcomes and reduce the city's infant mortality rate.

The funds from BMO Harris Bank will allow United Way to launch its Healthy Birth Initiative and hire a project director with expertise in maternal-child health. United Way will also convene a group of diverse constituents who will assist in the development of the strategies that will lead to improvements in birth outcomes.

Among the agencies that will benefit from the Bank's support is the Obstetrics Medical Home Program at the Progressive Community Health Centers which will receive $150,000 from United Way over the next three years.

The gift will allow Progressive to hire a full time women's health registered nurse (RN) to assist with care coordination activities for its prenatal patients. Previously, Progressive did not have the resources for an RN to be dedicated to women's health.

"It takes good community partners and a wide array of strategies to address infant mortality and I'm grateful BMO Harris Bank has stepped up to improve the lives of people in Milwaukee," Mayor Tom Barrett said. "These funds will help expectant mothers receive good quality health care. At the same time, we will continue our focus on the social determinants of infant mortality."

"For nearly 200 years, BMO has had a proud tradition of helping others. We wanted to do our part to help even the odds here in Milwaukee. Poverty, and the consequences of poverty, are a self-perpetuating cycle that we need to break," said Brad Chapin, Executive Vice President, Retail Banking, BMO Harris Bank. "We care about the same things our customers care about and wanted to make an investment in something that matters to us all. United Way was a natural partner for us because so many of our employees choose to support United Way with their own giving."  

"BMO Harris Bank's gift will allow us to build capacity and collaborate with our community partners, corporate leaders and health care providers to take this community-wide effort to scale," said Mary Lou Young, president and CEO, United Way of Greater Milwaukee. "This is an example of how corporate leaders can change the health of our community. We invite others to join us." 

Milwaukee has one of the highest infant mortality rates among large cities in the United States. It also has one of the worst racial disparities in infant deaths: African American infants are 2-3 times more likely to die in their first year of life than Caucasian infants.

In Milwaukee, 100 children died before their first birthday in 2011. Many of these deaths were preventable.

Through the Healthy Birth Initiative, United Way and BMO Harris Bank are committed to helping reach the community-wide goal set by Mayor Tom Barrett to reduce Milwaukee's African American infant mortality rate by 15% and the overall rate by 10% by 2017 through:

• Raising awareness about the issue by revealing how racial and ethnic birth outcome disparities affect all sectors of society,
• Identifying and funding evidence-based programs that will impact the root causes and result in positive birth outcomes, and
• Measuring the collective impact of funded programs.

For more information on United Way's Healthy Birth Initiative, visit UnitedWayMilwaukee.org/InfantMortality.

About BMO Harris Bank in Milwaukee
BMO Harris Bank N.A. is a key supporter for the City of Milwaukee through funding key initiatives of United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Summerfest, the BMO Harris Bradley Center, the Milwaukee County Zoo, the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through over 650 branches and approximately 1,350 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. Deposit and loan products and services provided by BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris BankSM is a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with 1,600 branches, and a retail deposit base of approximately $180 billion.

About United Way of Greater Milwaukee: United Way of Greater Milwaukee advances the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. Our focus is on education, income and health – the building blocks for a good quality of life. Learn more about our community-changing strategies and goals at:
http://www.unitedwaymilwaukee.org/Newsroom.htm

Join us. Advocate for change at:
http://twitter.com/UnitedWayMilw
http://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayGreaterMilwaukee.

About United Way Worldwide:
United Way is a national network of more than 1,300 local organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and people's lives by addressing the underlying causes of the most significant local issues. While local United Ways tackle issues based on local needs, common areas of focus include helping children and youth succeed, improving access to health care, promoting self-sufficiency, and strengthening families. For more information about United Way, please visit: www.unitedway.org.

SOURCE BMO Harris Bank