This series focuses on how states are reaching underserved populations as part of the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality. While the country’s rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has dropped by more than 50 percent over the past two decades, SIDS continues to claim the lives of about 1,500 U.S. infants each…
As a current graduate student studying Public Health at Boston University, I try to use every semester to learn more about immense issues like birth outcome disparities or disparate impacts of social determinants of health on different populations. My coursework and regular engagement in the Racial Justice Talking Circles held on campus have ignited a…
For families with children who have special healthcare needs (CYSHCN), finding an optimal care system can sometimes be a challenge. While quality improvement (QI) is used a great deal in healthcare, a handful of parents participating in a NICHQ-led QI training are finding it can also help parents achieve their individual goals for improving as…
When it comes to making improvements, many people like to go from thinking to implementation in short order. After all, who doesn’t like reaching their destination quickly, especially when the goal is to change healthcare systems to create better health outcomes for children? But going from having an idea to implementing it skips an important…
Data sharing is one of the most significant barriers between city and state health departments when it comes to reducing infant mortality. States and cities accumulate a great deal of data at various levels on birth outcomes and maternal care, but they don’t always make it readily available to each other. “In some instances, states…
This is one of a series of posts based on the “Engaging Senior Leadership in Your Quality Improvement (QI) Work” webinar. “Follow the Leader” isn’t always a game that should be played during quality improvement (QI) work. In fact, often, QI teams need to be proactive about engaging their leaders, creating a partnership to support…
Despite only being 2 feet long, 1.5 feet wide and less than a foot tall, Finland’s baby boxes have had a dramatic impact on the country’s infant mortality rate. In the 1930s, Finland’s infant mortality rate reached 65 deaths per 1,000 live births, leading to the 1938 introduction of baby boxes—kits that include a mattress, bedding, diapers,…
Rooming-in is an evidence-based practice that promotes keeping healthy newborn babies and their mothers together in post-labor recovery rooms. It reflects a recent change in practice and policy for many hospitals, and is partially based on recommendations in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the increased movement toward earning Baby-Friendly designation in…
A pregnant woman living in poverty faces stress that often has negative consequences for her and her baby’s health, including infant mortality. Many of the social determinants of health affecting pregnant women require legal aid, but healthcare and the law have historically worked separately. The Delaware team participating in the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network…
Engaging pilot sites to test out change ideas and collect data is one of the best ways to learn how to make change at a local level. Pilot sites can test ideas and assist with planning and implementing a project “on the ground” with individuals in a project’s target audience. The most effective pilot sites…