Infant mortality is a community problem — and it takes a community to solve it. The Coalition engages partners throughout the region to join in the effort to address the underlying societal & structural root causes of infant mortality.
To bring awareness to the issue, particularly health disparities, the “Make a Noise! Make a Difference! Prevent Infant Mortality” community education and awareness campaign was launched in 2009. An accompanying intervention provides lay health advocates with the tools to spread healthy lifestyles information throughout the community, while the “Make a Difference!” Leadership Academy trains grassroots leaders to make changes in neighborhood factors that contribute to disparities in health and birth outcomes.
The Coalition also partners with those looking to serve their community. Each year, 23 members of the National Health Corps Florida AmeriCorps program serve at host sites throughout the community, including at the Coalition, where they help meet critical health care needs.
The Coalition and its partners engage the community to address place-based and population-specific issues that lead to infant mortality and poor birth outcomes. Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties each have active infant mortality task forces. Previous efforts include the Black Infant Health Community Council, which focused efforts on the health disparities African Americans in the region face, while the Northeast Florida Teen Pregnancy Task Force looked at ways to reach young mothers and prevent initial and repeat pregnancies among teens.