Project Abstract Address: 6101 Lake Ellenor Dr Orlando, FL 32809-4616 Project Director Name: Ellis Perez, MPH Contact Phone Number: 407-723-5123 Email Address: ellis.perez@flhealth.gov Website Address: www.floridahealth.com Requested Program Funding: $480,551 (Year 1), $471,633 (Year 2), $478,551 (Year 3), $471,633 (Year 4), & $467,055 (Year 5) Orange County, Florida has experienced high rates of infant mortality throughout the years with disproportionate rates mostly seen within racial groups. For several years Black non-Hispanic babies have died more than two times the rate when compared to White non-Hispanics. The difference in the infant mortality rate gap could be explained not only by variations in maternal characteristics, behaviors, and access to health care, but also by other factors including social issues and individual and family circumstances. In recent years, the community has experienced population changes and growth, as well as several economic, environmental, and social changes that have negatively impacted the health of moms and babies, including racial disparities. Research shows that the conditions needed for health are peace, shelter, education, food, income, and social justice. In short, health is created where people live, work, and play. Orange County, FL plans to address health disparities as part of a broad spectrum of public investments in housing, transportation, education, economic opportunity, and criminal justice. To address this complex issue the Florida Department of Health in Orange County (FDOH-Orange) uses a diverse community engagement approach to bring together the perspectives of the community to address the social determinants of health that impact infant mortality, through action and collaboration. The IMPACC: Infant Mortality Prevention, Action, Community, Collaboration project builds on the organizations’ and county’s existing efforts to reduce disparities and infant mortality. The community
centered proposed action plan project will be used to assess, plan, improve, and monitor the services systems and broad community resources that support and promote the health and well-being of Black non-Hispanic women, infants and families in the county. The project encompasses action to address economic stability and health care access and quality by: linking Black childbearing age women to food, transportation, employment, and healthcare services; enhancing evidence based preventative community interventions; enhancing educational mass media campaign; eliminating barriers to care, increasing health literacy, community partners and community member leadership and capacity building; enhancing maternal and child health primary and secondary data collection methods to continuously understand and disseminate root causes analysis; increasing health equity, and building a community infrastructure committed to change polices and systems to reduce infant mortality among Black non-Hispanic babies in Orange County, FL.