Addressing infant mortality inequities in the United States
Office of Minority Health Resource Center, HHS Office of Minority Health

THE NEED
To raise awareness of infant mortality inequities in the Black community and other communities of color via a participatory and community-engaged process that would mobilize students and local communities to provide education and resources

THE ORGANIZATION
The Office of Minority Health Resource Center (OMHRC)  is a nationwide department of the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which works to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations via health policies and programs that will help eliminate health inequities.

WHAT WE DID
(1) Provided strategic counseling on a national program to address infant mortality inequities among Black Americans and other affected groups

(2) Evaluated the results of the OMHRC National Preconception Peer Educator (PPE) Program, which trained and engaged undergraduate and graduate students from communities of color in community outreach and education

(3) Designed and facilitated professional development workshops for OMHRC/OMH staff members and senior officers on topics including health communication planning, e-health, and program evaluation

(4) Built capacity in four U.S. cities for multi-sectoral partnership development, program design, fundraising, and community engagement for infant mortality prevention via a participatory and community-/stakeholder-driven process

​5) Developed and disseminated relevant reports and peer-reviewed publications on this work