Incorporating the social determinates of health into the fetal and infant mortality review methodology

Life course theory ( LCT) is population focused, and firmly rooted in social determinants and social equity models. Though not often explicitly stated, LCT is also community (or “place”) focused, since social, economic and environmental patterns are closely linked to community and neighborhood settings. The LCT concepts are a natural fit to the work being done in local FIMR case reviews and a natural outgrowth of local FIMR advocacy for underserved families in the community. Overtime local FIMR programs were thinking about ways to incorporate some principles of LCT into the FIMR process. The seventh national FIMR conference in acknowledged and built upon concepts of health equity and LCT principles. To continue that work, NFIMR had a one time opportunity to award one year small grants through an RFA process to seven projects to develop successful model FIMR/LCT programs that other FIMR programs can emulate and inform the way all 200 local FIMR projects examine individual cases of infant deaths. These adaptation will be described.