| Governor Kaine announced that infant mortality rates in Virginia have been reduced to the lowest levels in the state's history. He also announced that rates for African Americans also fell to a historic low at a press conference on August 4, 2009.
The latest figures show that Virginia's overall infant mortality rate - calculated by the number of deaths during the first year of life per 1,000 live births - was 6.7 last year, down from a 10-year high of 7.7 in 2007. This is a 16% decrease.
Infant mortality rates also declined among African American populations, dropping from 15.5 deaths in 2007 to 12.2 deaths last year. This is a 20% decrease.
This means that 138 babies did not die in 2008 as compared with 2007. Also, there were 22 less SIDS/SUDI deaths in that number.
The Virginia and Maryland-National Capital Area chapters were present for a press conference regarding the results of the Governor's Infant Mortality Initiative. This $1,000,000 Commonwealth of Virginia initiative provided $100,000 to 10 health districts.
These health districts spanned across both chapters and the two chapters were involved in planning and implementation of many of the activities in the local initiatives.
Some of the activities that were accomplished by the two chapters are:
- Summits in the highest areas of infant mortality
- Clean Air Legislation
- Increasing FAMIS Moms enrollment
- March of Dimes preconception materials
- Late Preterm Labor grand rounds around the Commonwealth
- Centering Pregnancy Programs in 5 areas of the Commonwealth
- Adding 44,000 government workers onto Healthy Babies Healthy Business
The Governor thanked private organizations that worked with the Commissioner's Workgroup on Infant Mortality and credits the VA Department of Health and private organizations such as March of Dimes, Resource Mother's Program, SIDS Mid-Atlantic, AARP and many others with these successes.
Links:
Governor's Press Release
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