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"The infant mortality rate is the most sensitive index of the status of
economic and social development of any country."
– Helen M. Wallace, M.D., M.P.H.
It has been more than 20 year since Illinois
has brought together service providers, legislators, community residents
and advocates to develop a plan for improving the quality of life for
women, infant, children and families in Illinois. In 2006, technology
has advanced to the point where infants born prematurely have a much
greater chance of survival than infants born too soon even 10 years
ago. However, the infant mortality rate in many communities throughout
Illinois is still double the national and state averages and the gap
between African American and Caucasians has grown since 1986.
The Summit was a wonderful
success! In attendance were over 400 concerned residents,
professionals, faith leaders and medical providers. In addition, we
received media coverage from TV, newspaper and radio.
However, the best part is that we had so
many contributions to make this summit all that we hoped it could be.
The Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition would like to take this
opportunity to publicly acknowledge and thank the Steering Committee and
participants for their contribution to this awesome event.
At the Summit, breakthrough paradigms were
presented that offer a new model for improving maternal and child health
through a life course perspective. Participants were excited to learn
about the new model using science and were pleased to join in consensus
building activities to develop strategies and recommendations to
eliminate disparities and improve health.
Now, the real work begins as we move
toward Summit II, the finalization and then implementation of the
Maternal and Infant Transformation Plan. Illinois Maternal and Child
Health Coalition’s hope is that we can continue to utilize the
knowledge, commitment and expertise of the larger community as we
advance the process.
Pictures from the Summit have just been
added! Please view them here. |
