The Amerigroup Foundation has awarded an $8,000 grant to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene-Center for Maternal and Child Health (DHMH). The contribution will be used to help improve access to prenatal care in Baltimore City and Prince George's County by providing prenatal vitamins for those who register for prenatal care.
"Nutrition plays a critical role in pregnancy, and with Amerigroup's help, we will be able to provide prenatal vitamins to pregnant women, one step on the road to a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, as a part of Baltimore's strategic plan for improving birth outcomes," says DHMH Medical Director Dr. Lee Woods. "We are very pleased to receive this support from Amerigroup for our efforts to improve the health of mothers and babies in Baltimore."
The award is part of the Amerigroup Foundation's program that recognizes outstanding public advocacy efforts by government and community leaders to improve the health and well-being of children nationwide. This grant will reach almost 5,000 women and infants, according to the foundation.
"Baltimore City and the 44th Legislative District, in particular, have the highest infant mortality rate in the state," Maryland Delegate Keith Haynes explains. "It is incumbent upon all of us to do everything possible to decrease and ultimately eliminate infant mortality.
"As vice-chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health, I see firsthand the need for the resources to address this issue, and I applaud Amerigroup's financial contribution and commitment in this effort," he adds. "It will literally have a tremendous impact on not only saving lives but providing a future to our children."
This initiative is part of a comprehensive strategy in both Baltimore City and Prince George's County to reduce infant mortality 10 percent by 2012. It is Goal No. 14 of the Governor's Delivery Unit's 15 Strategic Policy Goals is to reduce the rate to 7.2 percent in the next two years, which would be the lowest rate in Maryland's history.
Source: Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene-Center for Maternal and Child Health
Writer: Walaika Haskins