News

NICHQ Announces Exploration of Preterm Birth Rates

Exploring State-Level Strategies to Improve Maternal Health and Birth Outcomes

Feb. 13, 2019

BOSTON– Preterm birth, a leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity, is on the rise and disproportionately affects black mothers and babies. Improving state-level systems, policies, and structures can set the stage for reducing preterm birth rates, addressing significant health risks for mothers, and ultimately, improving equitable maternal and infant health outcomes.

Interested in learning more about the successes from the Infant Mortality CoIIN, a nationwide effort to reduce infant mortality and improve birth outcomes? Read about the approach, results and impact here.

NICHQ is pleased to announce a new initiative, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that seeks to better understand how state-level systems change may help lower preterm birth rates. During an 18-month period, NICHQ will develop four in-depth case studies that investigate the systems and infrastructure of states who sought to improve preterm birth rates during the 2013-2017 phase of the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (Infant Mortality CoIIN).

Drawing on its relationship with state teams, contextual knowledge of the work, and the improvement data collected, NICHQ will identify systems and infrastructure that may help states reduce preterm birth rates, and potential barriers to improvement. NICHQ will disseminate the findings and recommendations from the case studies to inform systems-change efforts across the nation.

“This effort responds to an urgent need to improve health equity for both mothers and babies,” says NICHQ CEO, Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP. “We’re eager to share these findings widely and support our partners and fellow stakeholders in a shared goal of improving health and well-being for all families.”

For media inquiries, please contact:

Josh Licursi

NICHQ Communications Manager

jlicursi@nichq.org or 617-391-2757

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