Louisiana Launches WIC Enrollment Data Pilot

An 18-month pilot backed by The Pew Charitable Trusts aims to boost WIC participation through interagency data sharing.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Babies

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a milk carton and stacked wooden crates joined by a cable, set above a marsh-green horizon on cream. — Louisiana has launched an 18-month pilot backed by The Pew Charitable Trusts to boost WIC enrollment through interagency data sharing between its health and Medicaid agencies. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Louisiana has launched an 18-month pilot project to increase enrollment in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program through data collaboration. The Office of Public Health and the state Medicaid agency, both housed within the Louisiana Department of Health, are forming a dedicated interagency data and analytics team.

Why it matters

Louisiana faces a 14% preterm birth rate, 7.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, and a maternal mortality rate of 41.9 per 100,000. WIC participation is associated with reduced infant mortality and improved diet quality and preventive care, so better enrollment could affect these outcomes statewide.

Louisiana's 18-month pilot runs alongside a 14% preterm birth rate and 7.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, with a maternal mortality rate of 41.9 per 100,000. The extraction does not report the pilot's enrollment targets or early results.

The players

The Pew Charitable Trusts

The Pew Charitable Trusts is a nonprofit research and public policy organization that supports the pilot project and is implementing similar partnerships with other states.

Louisiana Department of Health

The Louisiana Department of Health is the state agency that houses both the Office of Public Health and the Medicaid agency involved in the pilot.

The details

The Office of Public Health and the Medicaid agency will establish a joint interagency data and analytics team of subject-matter experts, data scientists, and program leaders. The team will exchange and analyze data to translate it into coordinated action to improve maternal and child health.

The 18-month pilot project to increase WIC enrollment is underway in Louisiana.

Health Landscape

The Louisiana pilot is one of several state partnerships Pew is implementing to apply interagency data sharing to public health programs. Pew's pilots are intended to produce resources and best practices that any state can use to improve outcomes and lower costs.

Louisiana families who are eligible for WIC may see increased outreach and enrollment efforts as the pilot's data team identifies gaps in participation. The extraction does not specify changes to benefits, eligibility rules, or application steps.

The takeaway

Coordinated data sharing between health and insurance agencies may help states reach eligible families sooner and direct resources where they are most needed. Louisiana's pilot will test whether this approach can improve maternal and infant health outcomes.