County Receives Grant to Help Close the Infant Mortality Gap

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 17, 2012

Leon County has partnered with the Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition to reconvene the “Year of the Healthy Infant” – a public forum to provide resources and information to help improve birth outcomes and identify additional opportunities to reduce the rate of black infant mortality.

The community forum will be held Saturday, March 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Florida State University Turnbull Conference Center, 555 W. Pensacola Street. The forum is free and open to the public. The day’s events will include an overview and analysis of the most recent infant mortality rates, a resource fair, education classes, health screenings, an update on current community efforts and more.

 “Leon County is pleased to convene the Year of the Healthy Infant II. It is through this type of collaborative effort that community partners can mobilize to address such an important health issue,” said County Administrator Vincent S. Long. “Many providers and organizations have invested a lot of time and resources to help families achieve positive birth outcomes. Making a measurable impact on infant mortality will require continued community-level engagement and action.”

The forum will be funded through a $130,000 grant that was recently awarded to Leon County from the Florida Department of Health, Office of Minority Health (OMH). The grant, known as the “Closing the Gap” grant, enables the County to move forward with its partnership with the Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition by launching the “Leon County Campaign for Healthy Babies.” The overarching goal of the campaign is to help improve birth outcomes and decrease infant mortality among African Americans in Leon County through education and awareness activities.

“Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition’s partnership with Leon County to reduce African American infant mortality is a major step forward,” said Ann Davis, Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition Executive Director. “Babies will be saved and our community will be healthier as a result.”

This partnership has evolved at a critical time for moms and babies, as recent reports indicate black infant deaths in Leon County increased in 2010. The six-month campaign is designed to reach African American women and girls of childbearing age to teach the importance of staying healthy prior to, during and after pregnancy. Health resources and information will be provided to encourage women, who have not done so, to establish a medical home and adopt good health practices such as regular dental check ups.

A targeted education and awareness media campaign recently began to focus on safe infant sleep. These television and radio public service announcements, which are funded by the grant, are expected to reach an estimated 46,000 black women and girls. Through support from and partnership with the Leon County Health Department, the education and awareness media campaign will extend through June 2012.

To maximize the campaign’s reach, education classes are being conducted throughout the County in collaboration with various community agencies and organizations at sites which include health centers, subsidized housing, health fairs, schools, faith-based organizations and women’s groups. Leon County and Healthy Start have emphasized that two major goals of the campaign are to reach all areas within the community and to serve as many women as possible.

Healthy Start will also provide additional education classes through June 2012. Those interested in scheduling a class or having Healthy Start participate in an organizational health event should contact Kristy Goldwire at (850) 488-0288 ext. 110. The initial “Year of the Healthy Infant” forum was held in March 2008. It was heralded as having paved the way for parents, caregivers, health care providers, organizations and other stakeholders to develop a community action plan to reduce Leon County’s rate of infant mortality.

For more information about this year’s forum, please contact Lorraine Austin, Healthcare Services Coordinator with the Leon County Office of Human Services and Community Partnerships, at (850) 606-1912 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or Jon D. Brown, Director of Leon County Community and Media Relations, at (850) 606-5300 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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