The infant mortality rate in Robeson County is typically almost double the North Carolina state rate.  The rate for Robeson County in 2014 was 14.7%, while the state rate was 7.1%.  Healthy Start works towards reducing the rate in Robeson County by focusing on the benchmarks listed below.

 

Healthy Start Benchmarks -   January 2017

Increase the proportion of Healthy Start women participants who receive a postpartum visit to 80%.

Increase the proportion of Healthy Start women participants who have a documented reproductive life plan to 90%

Increase proportion of Healthy Start women and child participants who have a usual source of medical care 80%.

Increase proportion of Healthy Start women participants that receive a well-woman visit to 80%.

Reduce the proportion of Healthy Start women participants who conceive within 18 months of a previous birth to 30%.

 Increase proportion of Healthy Start child participants whose parent/caregiver reports they were ever breastfed or pumped breast milk to feed their baby to 82%

 Increase proportion of Healthy Start women participants who engage in safe sleep practices to 80%.

 Increase the proportion of pregnant Healthy Start participants that abstain from cigarette smoking to 90%.

 Increase proportion of Healthy Start child participants whose parent/caregiver reports they were breastfed or fed breast milk at 6 months to 61%.

 Increase proportion of Healthy Start child participants who receive the last age-appropriate recommended well child visit based on AAP schedule to 90%.

Increase proportion of Healthy Start women participants that demonstrate father and/or partner involvement (e.g., attend appointments, classes, infant/child care) with their child participant to 80%.

Increase the proportion of HS grantees that demonstrate father and/or partner involvement (e.g., attend appointments, classes, infant/child care) during pregnancy to 90%

Increase proportion of Healthy Start women participants who receive intimate partner violence (IPV) screening to 100%.

Increase proportion of HS participants who receive perinatal depression screening and referral to 100%.

Increase the proportion of Healthy Start child participants aged <24 months who are read to by a parent or family member 3 or more times per week to 50%.

Increase the proportion of HS grantees with a fully implemented Community Action Network (CAN) to 100%.

Increase the proportion of Healthy Start grantees with at least 25% community members and Healthy Start program participants serving as members of their CAN to 100%.

 Increase the proportion of Level 3 HS grantees that have a fully implemented CoIIN process to 90%.

 Increase the proportion of HS grantees who establish a quality improvement and performance monitoring process to 100%.

 

Thus far, Healthy Start has played a role in decreasing the Infant Mortality in the county.  The new rates were released in October 2019, and the Robeson County rate for 2019 decreased to 13.3%.  The North Carolina rate remained steady at 6.8%.