Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117308

Deneen Long-White¹, Eleanor Padgett, MSW¹, and Marilyn Seabrooks, MPA². (1) Maternal and Family Health Administration, District of Columbia Department of Health, 825 North Capitol Street NE 3rd floor Room 3181, Washington, DC 20002, 202-442-9343, dlong-white@dchealth.com, (2) Maternal and Family Health Administration, DC Department of Health, 825 N. Capitol, NE, Washington, DC 20002

The District of Columbia experienced a 31.1% decrease in its infant mortality rate (IMR) between 1993 and 2002. However, it continues to have the highest IMR in the nation. Moreover, in the District of Columbia, infants of African American women are almost three times as likely than infants of women of any other race to die before their first birthday. In an effort to address this disparity, the District of Columbia Department of Health developed an enhanced hospital-based infant discharge planning strategy in collaboration with District hospitals. The program involves the Department of Health funding a Discharge Planner position in each of the District's hospitals to work with existing staff (nurses, social workers, case managers, neonatalogists, perinatologists, etc.) to address the health and social needs of women and their families prior to and after discharge to ensure a successful transition from hospital to home and beyond. Community health nurses conduct follow-up home visits and discharge planners call back to new mothers to determine if needs and/or risk factors were addressed. To date approximately 9,508 women and infants have benefited from the program. Of that number 52% are African American. Over 1,500 high-risk families were identified and linked to needed services. The Discharge Planner Program is an excellent example of public/private partnerships that enrich home visiting initiatives. This presentation will discuss the elements of the Discharge Planner Program and how the program has aided the District is addressing health disparities for African American Women and children. In addition, preliminary results from the evaluation will be shared.

Learning Objectives: