Initiatives

Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (Infant Mortality CoIIN)

A multiyear national movement engaging federal, state and local leaders, public and private agencies, professionals, and communities to employ quality improvement, innovation and collaborative learning to reduce infant mortality and improve birth outcomes. Infant Mortality CoIIN has identified six strategic areas to focus on:

SIDS/SUID/Safe Sleep: Improve safe sleep practices
Smoking Cessation: Reduce smoking before, during and/or after pregnancy
Preconception/Interconception Health: Promote healthy birth spacing and reduce unintended pregnancy
Social Determinants of Health: Incorporate evidence-based policies/programs and place-based strategies to improve social determinants of health and equity in birth outcomes
Prevention of Preterm and Early Term Births: Increase appropriate use of 17 OH progesterone, a hormone given to prevent pre-term labor, and/or reduce early elective deliveries (i.e., before 40 weeks gestation)
Risk-appropriate Perinatal Care (perinatal regionalization): Increase the delivery of higher-risk infants and mothers at appropriate level facilities

Keep scrolling, or use these quick links, to learn more.

Webinar | Issue Briefs | Resources | Related Content | Project Videos

Status: Complete

Phase one: 19 states in regions IV, V, and VI, September 2012 to August 2014 led by Abt Associates with NICHQ as subcontractor; Phase two: National Expansion, September 2013 to September 2017, led by NICHQ

Who: Multifaceted stakeholders from many disciplines and agencies both within and across state boundaries. In 2012, IM CoIIN began with 13 states from the southern and southwestern U.S., with six other Midwestern states joining the effort in 2013. In 2014, IM CoIIN was expanded to the remaining 31 states and nine jurisdictions and refocused on national collaboration versus regional collaboration. 
Funder: The project was funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Our Role: In the first phase of the IM CoIIN, we provided project teams with technical assistance on how to incorporate quality improvement principles into their work. In the nationally focused phase, we led state teams and provided the data infrastructure, online community and continuing expert technical assistance needed to support their efforts. We worked with several national partners, including AMCHP, ASTHO and the March of Dimes.

View the Informed Consent for Project Evaluation

Results Webinar: Big Wins and Next Steps in Addressing Infant Mortality

In a recent webinar, NICHQ shared the results and impact of the work to date, strategies that led to success, key resources and next steps to keep the momentum going.

View this webinar, as well as our full expert series here

Issue Briefs

The following issue briefs are a result of a shared commitment with our partners to spread learnings from the Infant Mortality CoIIN.

Resources

Sickle Cell Awareness Month Toolkit

Share these ready-to-use social media graphics and posts in honor of Sickle Cell Awareness Month to continue the conversation about sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait. When posting, use the hashtag #SickleCellMatters2023 and tag @NICHQ so we can like and share your posts!

ECHO DINE Quick Facts

Download this helpful flyer for some quick facts about Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes: Developmental Impact of NICU Exposures (ECHO DINE) – a research study on the long-term impact of environmental exposures in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

Quality Improvement Courses

Our Quality Improvement (QI) courses have helped thousands of people start their journeys in improvement science. These courses teach the fundamentals of quality improvement (QI); how to use this methodology to create effective, beneficial change; and give direction on how to test improvement ideas and increase their impact and effectiveness.

We are currently in the process of re-developing these courses to provide a new, expanded, and even more interactive experience. Please use the form below to be notified with updates.

ECHO DINE Quick Facts

Sickle Cell Awareness Month Toolkit

New York State Obstetric Hemorrhage Project

The goal of the NYS Obstetric Hemorrhage Project was to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality statewide by translating evidence-based guidelines into clinical practice to improve the assessment for and management of obstetric hemorrhage.

Related Content

Look for NICHQ at Upcoming Fall Maternal Child Health Conferences

Teams at the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality are preparing for an exciting fall 2024 conference season, where staff will give oral presentations and facilitate workshops and symposiums at a variety of national maternal and child health conferences.

3 Strategies for Navigating Equity Fatigue and Maintaining Engagement in Equity Initiatives

Research continues to emerge highlighting racism and discrimination as key drivers of negative health outcomes impacting historically marginalized communities. During the Equity Exchange S1 E3: Combating Weathering + Equity Fatigue, we sat down with three experts to discuss the challenges of enduring racist and discriminatory systems while working to dismantle them. Read three strategies for maintaining engagement in equity initiatives and navigating equity and ally fatigue.

Preparing Children with Special Healthcare Needs for Transition of Care

Transitioning from pediatric to adult care can be challenging for any young person, but those challenges are often amplified for children with special healthcare needs. Two young adults with complex medical conditions share their experience with transitioning from pediatric to adult care.

TRANSCRIPT | Connecting Infant and Maternal Health Outcomes – Prematurity Awareness Month

Our main story this episode highlights he links between maternal and infant health, and the impacts of preterm birth on health outcomes for mothers, birthing people, and babies. Hear from NICHQ VP of Equity and Innovation Dr. Stacy Scott, Ph.D. D, MPA, who shares some equity considerations regarding disparate rates of preterm birth, infant mortality, and maternal mortality. Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, MD, FACOG, NICHQ’s senior health advisor, also connects the impact of maternal health on infant health outcomes while shining a light on the U.S. maternal mortality crisis and current policy initiatives that can help reverse maternal mortality trends.

4 Strategies for Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Care for People Living with Sickle Cell Disease

Whether transitioning to college or a full-time job, it's a time when young adults are going to be establishing their independence from their nuclear family and taking responsibility for their own needs. For a young person with special healthcare needs such as SCD, the responsibilities are compounded by the additional need to begin transitioning from pediatric to adult care. Read more for four helpful strategies for transitioning from pediatric to adult care for people living with sickle cell disease and other special health conditions.

TRANSCRIPT | Sickle Cell Awareness Month: Transitioning to College, Equity Considerations, and Resource Sharing

Our main story this episode highlights the need for resources for people living with sickle cell disease and strategies for transitioning from pediatric to adult care. We also reflect on National Infant Mortality Awareness Month and hear from NICHQ team member about connecting their personal and professional passion for equity. Thanks for joining us!

Project Videos

Methods for Moving a Nation: The Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality is cleverly combining three key methods for change—collaborative learning, innovation networks and quality improvement—to achieve results in reducing infant mortality across the country. Hear from project participants about how this novel approach is having a profound impact in helping more children reach their first birthdays and beyond.

Saving Babies: Efforts in three cities to reduce infant mortality rates are shared in this documentary about efforts of the NICHQ-led Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality

Tackling a National Embarrassment: The U.S. infant mortality rate, one of the worst among all industrialized nations, is a national embarrassment. But teams from every state, jurisdiction and territory are joining together to find innovative solutions to preventing and reducing infant mortality across the U.S., with a particular focus on eliminating racial disparities, through the NICHQ-led Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) to Reduce Infant Mortality. Get inspired for this great movement by hearing from participants as they begin their work.

Precious Loss: The infant mortality rate in Colorado overall is the 5th lowest in the United States. But within that ranking is one of country’s most striking racial disparities. According to the state health department, 12 black babies die before their first birthday out of every 1,000 born. This rate of infant death is triple that of white babies in Colorado. Rocky Mountain PBS News investigates what could explain this disparity, and what local and national organizations are pursuing to eliminate it.