The Detroit Regional Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force was formed in 2008 after the CEOs of the four major health systems serving Detroit (Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health, St. John Providence Health, and Oakwood Healthcare System), alarmed by persistently high infant mortality rates in the region and gaping health disparities, committed their organizations to find lasting, collaborative solutions.
Guided by the Task Force's expertise, the Sew Up the Safety Net for Women and Children project aims to reduce infant mortality rates in Detroit through the following strategies:
Project Goal:
Working through an unprecedented public-private partnership of Detroit's major health systems, public health, academic and community partners, we will tighten a loose net of disconnected medical and social services, thereby building a comprehensive, accountable system of care that will engage the residents of three Detroit neighborhoods to improve the conditions that lead to infant survival through the first year of life.
To achieve this we will employ the following strategies:
Objective 1:
Engage six Community & Neighborhood Navigators to recruit 1,500 at-risk women in three Detroit neighborhoods (Brightmoor, Osborn, Southwest Detroit/Chadsey Condon) and link them to safety net resources including United Way 2-1-1. Pregnant participants will be supported with home visits and wrap-around interventions. Non-pregnant and postpartum participants will be connected with local resources that address needs related to education, employment, housing, food access, and other social determinants of health. The latter group will also benefit from monthly group sessions led by health system professionals on topics including parenting, pre/interconception planning and nutrition.
Objective 2:
Provide educational sessions to 500 physicians, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals in Detroit's major health systems.
Objective 3:
Establish technologically relevant educational and supportive products by the end of Year 2 that will engage the broader community in promoting good health status prior to and during pregnancy.
