CAMBRIDGE, MD (December 10, 2015)– Recognizing the program’s immense success reducing infant mortality rates, the Baltimore City Health Department’s innovative B’more for Healthy Babies (BHB) initiative was awarded the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance County Best Practices Award today during the Inaugural Banquet and Awards Ceremony at the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Winter Conference.

The Academy for Excellence in Local Governance County Best Practices Award was established to highlight superb and innovative county programs that improve overall quality-of-life and service delivery for a county’s residents. Instituted by MACo Past President and former Prince George’s County Council Member Ingrid Turner, the award is a collaboration between the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), with support from the Local Government Insurance Trust.

“This award from our partners across the state emphasizes the importance of collective-impact approaches like B’More for Healthy Babies that has efficiently improved outcomes for our city’s at-risk women and families,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen who accepted the award on behalf of BHB today. “In Baltimore we believe that every life matter sand that all families deserve the best opportunity to succeed. By working together to expanding investments in our most vulnerable, we can get mobilize communities, changes behaviors, and improve health for all.”

In 2009, Baltimore’s infant mortality rate exceeded that of many developing countries, a problem the city struggled with for years. At 13.5 deaths per 1,000 births, the city rate was nearly twice that of the state, and black babies died at nearly 5 times the rate as white babies. Baltimore’s infant mortality rate was the highest in the state.

Led through the Baltimore City Health Department and in partnership with 150+ implementing partners, B’more for Healthy Babies is an innovative initiative to reduce infant mortality in Baltimore City through programs emphasizing policy change, service provider improvements, community mobilization, and behavior change.

Since the program’s inception, Baltimore’s infant mortality rate has dropped by over 20 percent, hitting its lowest point ever recorded in 2012. Disparities between black and white infant deaths have also consistently decreased. As a result of B’More for Healthy Babies, the teen birth rates in the city have dropped by an unprecedented 32 percent.

“We are so proud of the reduction in infant mortality rates across the city,” said ‎ Baltimore City Health Department Assistant Commissioner for Maternal and Child Health, Rebecca Dineen. “By continuing to implement evidence-based, results-focused programs through BHB, Baltimore’s babies will be born healthy and ready to thrive in families, schools, and communities.”

BHB is designed to work in four interrelated ways throughout the life cycle:

• In Preconception Health: encouraging primary health care, teen pregnancy prevention, and reducing substance abuse;
• During Pregnancy: promoting prenatal care, offering home visits for high risk clients, encouraging social networks through Baby Basics, promoting smoking cessation, and reducing second hand smoke exposure; 
• Post Pregnancy: providing social support, post-partum depression screening, safe sleep education, free cribs, and home visits for families in need, promoting breast-feeding and birth spacing, and reducing obesity; and
• Around Newborns: encouraging housing stability and job creation, promoting family literacy, and advocating for trauma informed services and systems underlie our programs at every stage of the life cycle.

BHB is led by the Baltimore City Health Department and the Family League of Baltimore and implemented with more than 100 partner agencies from the corporate, nonprofit, academic, donor, and government sectors. The initiative has a strong community outreach and mobilization program that operates in Upton/Druid Heights, Park Heights, Patterson Park, and other neighborhoods.

“The continued success of the B’more for Healthy Babies demonstrates that Baltimore families are invested in improving their families’ health,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “By bringing together diverse organizations we can continue to tackle the all-too-high infant mortality rate in Baltimore. Together we can ensure that Baltimore’s babies are born healthy and grow up healthy, ready for school and success.”

For more information on the B’more for Healthy Babies campaign, visit: http://www.healthybabiesbaltimore.com