Since 2010, our B’more for Healthy Babies Initiative has educated families and caregivers through community outreach, training, and media campaigns. We have partnered with hundreds of agencies and providers to spread important messages. As a result, infant mortality has dropped by nearly 35%, but we know there is still much more work to be done. Even one infant death is too many.
Together, we can create a city where every baby grows up healthy and ready to thrive. Remember, every baby counts on you!”
Dr. Letitia Dzirasa
Baltimore City Health Commissioner
Our Beginnings
In 2009, Baltimore City had one of the worst rates of infant mortality in the country: 13.5 deaths per 1,000 live births. Black babies were five times more likely to die than white babies.
In response to this public health crisis, leaders from government, nonprofit, academic, and corporate sectors came together to launch B’more for Healthy Babies. Using the social-ecological framework, the initiative works to strengthen policy, systems, healthcare services, and community support for women and families throughout the life course and address the social, economic, and racial inequities that affect health.
How Far We've Come
Guided by the 2009 Strategy to Improve Birth Outcomes, the initiative has invested heavily in quality improvement measures for the city’s public system of pregnancy, preconception, and early childhood services. In 2013, BHB began focusing on ensuring that all programs and services are anti-racist and trauma-informed.
By 2015, Baltimore City had achieved the lowest infant mortality rate in the City’s history. And by 2018, BHB had made significant progress on other key indicators: