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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Lacy M. Fehrenbach, MPH and Lauren Ratner, MPH, MSW. Maternal and Child Health Policy, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, 1275 K Street NW #800, Washington, DC 20005, 202-715-1621, lfehrenbach@astho.org

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the national nonprofit organization representing the state and territorial public health agencies of the U.S., the U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia, will present findings from its publication, "Strides Among State Health Agencies to Improve Birth Outcomes, " a compendium highlighting innovative state health department programs that seek to reduce infant mortality and disparities in birth outcomes. This information will be supplemented by detailed information from a follow-up report on states' home visitation programs.

ASTHO's survey of state health agencies to identify model programs and policies, that address infant mortality and that focus on racial or ethnic health disparities yielded information on programs in 21 states. Seven of the 31 programs detailed in the compendium involved home visitation programs, urging ASTHO to take a more in-depth examination of home visitation programs in several states.

This presentation will outline overarching themes that emerged from the data supplied by state health agencies and will provide targeted information on common components of home visitation programs. Key information on home visitation programs will include: strategies utilized to build the programs at the state level, program financing, challenges and barriers faced by states in implementing their programs and critical lessons learned by those states.

The presentation will further highlight select federal, state, local and organizational resources dedicated to home visitation and improving birth outcomes.

Learning Objectives: