Infant mortality rate in Va. drops to new low in 2008

RICHMOND

After years of being ranked in the bottom half of states for its infant mortality rate, Virginia recorded an all-time low for baby deaths in 2008.

The latest figures show that Virginia's overall infant mortality rate - calculated by the number of deaths during the first year of life per 1,000 live births - was 6.7 last year, down from a 10-year high of 7.7 in 2007.

Infant mortality rates also declined among African American populations, dropping from 15.5 deaths in 2007 to 12.2 deaths last year.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine heralded the achievement at a news conference on state Capitol grounds Tuesday morning, flanked by state health officials who have worked on the issue.

"Today is the first bit of really good news that we have that the efforts that we're all undertaking together on infant mortality are working," the governor said. "And in particular, the targeted strategies to drive down the infant mortality statistics among Virginia's African American population is really working to close down that disparity."

For years, state health officials have been wrestling with the infant mortality rate because it stands out as one of Virginia's worst community health indicators.

"I came to learn that it truly is Virginia's silent epidemic," said Dr. Karen Remley, the state's health commissioner. "We have more children die in the first year of life in our state than die of car accidents, homicides and suicides combined."

The problem has been particularly pronounced in Hampton Roads. In 2007, Chesapeake, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach were among a group of 10 localities that received $100,000 grants from the state to find ways to reduce infant mortality. Selection was based on localities with the highest numbers of infant deaths rather than the highest rates.

Jacqueline Yetka, a member of the Eastern Virginia Perinatal Council, described some of the ways local districts used the grant money: determining which women were at the highest risk; increasing awareness of the signs of premature labor; educating parents about the best sleep practices for infants, such as placing them on their backs in their cribs; coordinating private and public health-care providers; and improving women's health through folic acid supplements, insurance coverage and better transportation to health sites.

Yetka said local cities have not yet received district-specific infant mortality statistics for 2008.

Besides using grants to help reduce the number of baby deaths, state officials also expanded access to prenatal care for expecting mothers who meet income guidelines.

Kaine noted there still is more work to be done. Virginia's infant mortality rate generally has declined in recent years but has often remained higher than the national average.

In the most recent Kids County Study, released last week by the Maryland-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, Virginia ranked 29th in infant mortality.

The study, which compares states on 10 indicators of child well-being, used infant mortality data from 2000 to 2006, and Virginia made its worst showing in that category.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com

Elizabeth Simpson, (757) 446-2635, elizabeth.simpson@pilotonline.com