INFANT MORTALITY GOAL

GOAL: Reduce Infant Mortality and Post Neonatal Infant Mortality (Neonatal is defined as 0-28 days after birth and Post Neonatal is 28  365 days)

Baseline: 8.1/1000 live births result in infant mortality in Buffalo County (Source: Buffalo County Community Health Profile 1997)

Target: 4.5/1000 live births

POST NEONATAL INFANT MORTALITY

Baseline: 4/1000 live births result in Post Neonatal Infant Mortality (Source: Buffalo County Community Health Profile 1997)

Target: 1.5/1000 live births

Rationale

Infant death is an important measure of a nation's health and a worldwide indicator of health status and social well-being. As of 1995, the US infant mortality rates ranked 25th among industrialized nations. In the past decade, critical measures of increased risk of infant death, such as new cases of low birth weight and very low birth weight, have actually increased in the United States. In addition, the disparity in infant mortality rates between whites and specific racial and ethnic groups persists. Although the overall infant mortality rate has reached record low levels, the rate for African Americans remains twice that of whites. In Buffalo County we have seen a higher rate than the U.S. with white infant mortality at a higher rate than specific racial or ethnic groups. (Source: Healthy People 2010 page 16-3)