Eliminating disparities in infant mortality in the US: A matter of health equity

Eliminating persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in adverse birth outcomes and infant mortality is a national public health priority. While improved access to and quality of health care services are important, they are insufficient for closing these gaps. The role of social determinants in shaping the health of mothers and their infants is undeniable. Addressing the underlying social and economic factors that drive health disparities must be a top priority in a national strategy on infant mortality. To that end, this presentation will introduce the US DHHS Secretary's Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality's (SACIM) recommendations for reducing disparities and promoting health equity by targeting social determinants of health. These recommendations, presented to the Secretary in November 2012, include: 1) convening an interagency expert panel to set goals on closing infant mortality gaps, 2) maximizing the federal Healthy Start program's potential to reduce disparities and increase health equity, 3) fostering federal interagency collaboration to concentrate investments in place-based initiatives, and 4) enhancing income supports to address poverty. This session will conclude with an update on how these recommendations have been received and further delineated into specific action steps to reduce infant mortality disparities by ensuring greater health equity.