Stepping Toward A Baby-Friendlier Oregon

Download this entry The Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon under the direction of Amelia Psmythe recently hosted its sold-out 5th annual two-day statewide conference – Stepping Toward A Baby-Friendlier Oregon. Supporters who made the conference possible include Oregon WIC, Oregon Public Health Institute, Hygeia, Limerick, and Medical International. Anyone wanting to know what Oregon’s many infant-feeding [...]

Lane Co’s High Fetal-Infant Loss = Lost Economic Investment

Recently I was listening to Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal interview a Russia-based NPR health correspondent about the intersection between health and economic prosperity. Much of their discussion applies nicely to Lane County’s poor perinatal outcomes and our prospects for future economic growth and diversification. Russia, like Lane County, faces a number of complex public health issues [...]

March of Dimes: Empower Women, Decrease Disparities

Finishing my childbirth education certification means I can start combing through several maternal and infant health reports I’ve been collecting. What can I say? In addition to providing childbirth education, I like to read wonky reports. First up is the March of Dimes’ December 2010 Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy III (TIOP III). For [...]

Maternity Act – doing right by pregnant women and babies, everyone benefits

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, bipartisan efforts aren’t dead in Washington, D.C. Just before Thanksgiving, Congressman Elliot Engel (D-NY) and Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC) filed the Partnering to Improve Maternity Care Quality Act of 2010 (MCQA). This act begins the necessary work to remove the multiple, interlocking barriers separating women and babies from effective [...]

Considering maternal mortality in Lane County

Yesterday, I attended the UO Women’s Law Forum discussion of maternal mortality. Among the invited speakers was certified nurse midwife Hilary Prager from the PeaceHealth Birth Center. Anyone remotely interested in or familiar with maternal and infant well being knows US rates are significantly higher than those in other developed and developing countries. Recently, Amnesty [...]

Congrats to Friends’ Katharine Gallagher and Midwife Cindy Hunter for Healthy Babies Awards!

Originally posted on Lane County Friends of the Birth Center‘s blog… Congratulations to the Lane County Healthy Babies 2010 Award Recipients recognized at yesterday’s second-annual reception! Awards were given to an individual, a practitioner and an organization in acknowledgement of their contributions toward reducing fetal-infant mortality and increasing community health in Lane County. Former KEZI [...]

Lane Co. Fetal-Infant Mortality Coalition Coordinator Leaving

Healthy Babies, Healthy Communities, Lane County’s coalition to reduce fetal and infant mortality rate, recently learned its coordinator, Sandy Moses, has taken another position within Lane County Public Health. Coalition members have been assured of a replacement to continue in Moses’ place. This and continued staff and funding resources for the Fetal Infant Mortality Review [...]