Washington, DC - Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007 (H.R.3267).  The legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Michigan). The legislation seeks to reduce infant and maternal mortality and morbidity through grants to at-risk communities. Some of the critical services include: outreach, prenatal and postnatal care, health education, and case management. The program uses a community-based approach and provides $120 million per year for a range of much-needed health, social, and economic services to low-income women.

“I am elated that my colleagues in Congress stood with me to bring us one step closer to closing the gap on infant mortality. It has been widely reported that infant mortality is an indicator of the general health of a community, and with the disproportionate amount of low-birth weight and crib death incidence among African-American and Hispanic populations, something had to be done,” stated Rep. Towns.  “Through the Healthy Start program, we can tackle the problem of infant mortality by helping our nation’s most disadvantaged children survive infancy and live longer, healthier lives.”    

According to the New York City Health Department, infant mortality rates for African-Americans and Puerto Ricans more than double the rate for Whites and Asians – a prevailing trend that has continued for more than a decade.  The city’s health department notes, “The infant mortality rate among black babies was 9.8 deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2007, compared with 3.9 deaths for every 1,000 live births among white babies.”  Even more startling is the fact that in communities like Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, the infant death rates are higher than any other neighborhood.

Rep. Towns concluded, “With the poorest sectors of the city experiencing infant mortality rates double the citywide rates, families can now breathe a sigh of relief that help is on the way.” 

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