To address disparities in infant mortality, CityMatCH, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), and the National Healthy Start Association (NHSA) – with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation – created the Partnership to Eliminate Disparities in Infant Mortality. The purpose of this project is to eliminate racial inequities contributing to infant mortality within U.S. urban areas. The first activity of the partnership was an eighteen-month long Action Learning Collaborative (ALC). The following six teams were selected through a competitive process to participate in the ALC from 2008-2010:
- Los Angeles, California
- Aurora, Colorado
- Pinellas County, Florida
- Chicago, Illinois
- Columbus, Ohio
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The emphasis of this team-based ALC is on innovative approaches to reducing racial inequities in infant mortality in urban communities, with particular attention paid to the impacts of racism. The report Taking the First Steps: Experiences of Six Community/State Teams Addressing Racism’s Impacts on Infant Mortality details the ALC process and the experiences of the participating teams. The companion document, Exercises for Team-Building and Community Action Planning: A Toolkit for MCH Leaders Addressing Racism’s Impacts on Infant Mortality, includes all of the planning exercises used during the ALC.