Black Infant Health Program Extended in San Bernardino County
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to renew a $70,000 contract with Peoples Choice to refer black pregnant women and those with young children in targeted neighborhoods to the county Black Infant Health Program, the San Bernardino Sun reports. The program, which served 424 women last year, focuses on neighborhoods in 13 ZIP codes in San Bernardino, Redlands, Bloomington, Colton and Highland.
Jennifer Baptiste-Smith, director of the program, said, "The idea is to get them early into care." She added that information about prenatal care and nutrition, as well as appointments with doctors or public health nurses, can improve health outcomes among program participants.
California's infant mortality rate in 2002 was 6.24%, while the overall rate in San Bernardino County was 6.57%. In 2001, the infant mortality rate was 17.4% in neighborhoods targeted by the program.
In 2002, the rate of low infant birthweights was 11.88% in targeted areas, compared to 1.15% statewide and 1.32% in the county overall (Silva, San Bernardino Sun, 8/11).