HEALTHY START: Alameda County Receives $2.5 Million Grant
Two members of California's congressional delegation last week announced that Alameda County will receive a Healthy Start grant "totaling more than $2.5 million." Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the grant will support a local program that seeks to lower the infant mortality rate by ensuring access to prenatal care. "The Oakland Healthy Start program is, without question, a model community health program," said U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) in announcing the grant. "The program has worked successfully to give children in the Oakland community a fair and healthy start," she said. The Oakland program was launched in 1991 and has contributed to a dramatic decline in the area's infant mortality rate. The Alameda Times-Star reports that Oakland's infant mortality rate in 1988 was 18 deaths per 1,000 births; in 1994, the rate had dropped more than 50% to 8.1 per 1,000. Oakland's program is so successful that it recently received a "high-performance" rating. In addition, the county plans to augment prenatal care by developing "a comprehensive home-visiting program using $120,000 from $1 ticket surcharges on Oakland Raiders football games." Rep. Lee was joined by U.S. Rep. Pete Stark (D-Fremont) in announcing the grant last week (Horowitz, 10/9). Click Healthy Start to read past California Healthline coverage of the program.
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