Healthy Communities is working locally to understand the reasons why our Infant Mortality Rate, (IMR) is consistently higher than state and national averages. This process begins with the Fetal Infant Mortality Review, (FIMR) a team who looks at case reports from every infant loss. This team of professionals discusses and determine if the death may have been preventable and what the community could have done to prevent this loss? Those answers are translated into local action through the Infant Mortality Prevention Action Team, a multidisciplinary collaborative made up of representatives from across our community. The Infant Mortality Prevention Team would like to would like to use this year's proceeds from the Coolest Pet Competition to equip our OB and Family Medicine offices with tablets to enable more education for pregnant patients and their families. This education will include information on Safe Sleep, kick counts, and other topics that the FIMR team has found to be a factor in our local reviews.

"Thank you to Meridian Columbus Kiwanis for helping both raise awareness and money to help the Healthy Communities Infant Mortality Prevention Team lower our infant mortality rate. It is through strong, dedicated partnerships that we are working to ensure that more babies in Bartholomew County will celebrate their first birthday." Amanda Virostko, MPH, CLC