Research and evaluation for a promising infant mortality reduction program

Daniel J Kruger, University of Michigan
Tonya Turner, Genesee County Health Department

The Genesee County REACH initiative focuses on reducing disparities in perinatal health and infant mortality in Genesee County, Michigan. Partners in this initiative agree that no single intervention will eliminate racial disparities and that interventions must precede, include, and follow the period of pregnancy. Core themes for the work include: reducing racism, enhancing the medical care and social services systems, and fostering community mobilization. Vital statistics data indicates a substantial drop in African American infant mortality in Genesee County in 2005. The African American infant mortality rate remains lower in 2006 than in years prior to intervention activities. The REACH initiative is conducting an in depth investigation of intervention activities and policy changes to document successes in improving perinatal health outcomes in vital statistics data. We are also using Geographical Information Systems to enhance our understanding of trends in birth outcomes.