5.) INFANT AND CHILD DEATH RATES
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths (age one year or younger) per 1,000 live births. African American mothers are 2.5 times as likely as non-Hispanic white mothers to begin prenatal care in the 3rd trimester, or to receive no prenatal care at all, and the infant death rate is higher for African American infants in St. Mary’s County compared to White non-Hispanic infants. Initial data from the Community Health Needs Assessment indicated a higher than average death rate in the county, initiating an immediate investigation into infant and child death rates in St. Mary’s County. Following the investigation, it was determined that the death rate was lower than initially reported and, as a result, data reporting was refined for the entire state based upon the St. Mary’s County analysis.
An Infant and Child Fatality Review Team consisting of the Health Officer, an obstetrician, pediatricians, and the Vital Records Supervisor from the health department was established to retrospectively review infant and child death rates from 2005 through 2009 to determine if any common causes need to be addressed to avoid further deaths.
GOAL: The goal of the Local Health Improvement Process is to decrease the number of infant and child death rates in St. Mary’s County to below the State of Maryland’s rate by 2015.
Outcome Objectives/Measures:
Objective 1: The St. Mary’s County Health Department will retrospectively review infant and child deaths (1 to 4 years of age) from 2005 through 2009 to identify any common causes that need to be addressed and establish a baseline for future comparisons.
Objective 2: The St. Mary’s County Health Department will establish an Infant and Child Fatality Review Team to meet quarterly and perform concurrent reviews of infant and child deaths beginning June 2010. A member of the Infant and Child Review Team will report trends quarterly to the LHIC.
Objective 3: At the end of each year, the review teams will compare infant and child death rates to Maryland State rates. If indicated, the review team will develop a plan to reduce infant and child death rates in St. Mary’s County.