National Collaborative Tackling High Infant Mortality Rates in the U.S. to Hold Learning Session in Boston

BOSTON - July 15, 2015 - PRLog -- The rates of infant mortality in the U.S. are shockingly high. On average, 6.15 out of every 1,000 babies born dies before their first birthday, which is a national embarrassment. This compares with an average of 5.0 for all other industrialized nations.

As part of an initiative to reduce infant mortality in the U.S., a national project called the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (IM CoIIN), led by the National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ), has engaged all 53 U.S. states and territories to innovate and test improvement strategies to help more children make it to the first birthday and beyond. More than 325 participants in IM CoIIN, representing 46 states, will gather in Boston on July 27 and 28 to learn from experts and each other, innovate and accelerate the reduction of infant mortality and disparities in birth outcomes.

Participants will include a diverse group of stakeholders, from the state to the local level, including 25 Maternal Child Health Directors/Designees, nine State Health Officers and representatives from the following agencies and organizations:

         •  Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA/MCHB),

         •  Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP)

         •  Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

         •  March of Dimes (MOD)

         •  American Indian Health Commission

         •  Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

         •  CityMatCH

         •  Healthy Start

         •  Medicaid Chapter

Notable attendees will include:

         •  Dr. Michael Lu, Associate Administrator, MCHB

         •  Ed Ehlinger, Commissioner of the Minnesota Dept. of Health and ASTHO president elect

         •  Deborah Frazier, Chief Executive Officer for the National Healthy Start Association

         •  Michelle Stranger-Hunter, Executive Director of the Oregon Foundation for Reproductive Health

         •  Sarah Verbeist, Executive Director of UNC’s Center for Maternal and Infant Health

Objectives of the Learning Session include:

         •  Assessing progress to date across learning networks and identify opportunities for continued improvements and innovations towards reducing infant mortality;

        •  Promoting collaboration across states/jurisdictions and the six learning networks to accelerate improvement during the next phase of the initiative;

         •  Enhancing patient and family participation across multiple levels and sectors;

         •  Augmenting state capacity to utilize data to track progress and inform areas of improvement and innovation; and

         •  Integrating  health equity knowledge and strategies to address health disparities in birth outcomes.

The Learning Session will be held at George Sherman Union, Metcalf Hall, Boston University, 775 Commonwealth Ave., Boston MA.

Get inspired for this great infant mortality reduction movement by hearing from IM CoIIN participants about their work.

https://youtu.be/GLXLc2Ibc34



https://youtu.be/BLMu6DCI0N8



-----------

NICHQ is an independent, nonprofit organization working for nearly two decades to improve children’s health. We help organizations and professionals who share this mission make breakthrough improvements so children and families live healthier lives. For more information about NICHQ, go to www.NICHQ.org.