FLORIDA FETAL AND INFANT MORTALITY REVIEW

Florida FIMR should... FIMR is not... Florida FIMR Confidentiality Review Process Florida FIMR's Goal FIMR Projects

"Infant Mortality is not a health problem - infant mortality is a social problem with health consequences" Wager, Marsden JPHP,1988

Florida's infant mortality, while
demonstrating a steady decrease, still
falls short of the year 2000 goal.

Resident Infant Mortality Rate Per 1,000 Births





Florida FIMR should...
Unite communities to learn more
about why infants die and to propose
recommendations for change.

Serve as a mechanism to improve
health care systems and the quality
of care for families.

Ask the question, "What can we
learn as a community from the
death of this baby?"




FIMR is not...
A research study

An institutional review

To assign blame




Florida FIMR...
Describes and defines the
community's health.

Builds knowledge of service
delivery.

Improves communication among
providers.


Identifies gaps in service.

Builds collaborative improvements
to service delivery systems.


Implements creative solutions to
identified needs.




Confidentiality
Florida FIMR projects are organized
under Florida Statutes 766.101.
Confidentiality of all information is
strictly maintained. All cases brought
before the review teams are
deidentified of patient, provider or
institutional information.




Review Process
Information review by a qualified
abstractor of Vital Statistics data,
hospital, autopsy, prenatal and
pediatric records, social service
reportsand Healthy Start screens.


Interviews with the mother and
family members who have
suffered the loss. Professionals
with training in grief counseling
ascertain the needs of the family
and refer to bereavement support
and community resources.

Technical Review Panel
A team of experts from medicine,
social services, and the community
review a summary of abstracted
case information and make
recommendations for community
change, if appropriate.



Community Action Group (CAG)
Community leaders, in cooperation
with Healthy Start Coalitions,
review recommendations, and
design and implement strategies
for change.


Florida FIMR's Goal

Florida Fetal and Infant Mortality
Review (FIMR) is a state wide effort to
better understand the pattern and
occurrence of fetal and infant deaths,
and to develop local strategies to
reduce these deaths.




FLORIDA FETAL AND INFANT MORTALITY REVIEW Projects
Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
Healthy Start Three
Bay, Franklin, Gulf
Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
Northeast Florida
Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
Healthy Start of North Central, Florida
Central Healthy Start Coalition
The Healthy Start Prenatal & Infant Coalition
of Flagler and Volusia Counties, Inc.
Orange County Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
Prenatal and Infant Health Care
Coalition of Pinellas County, Inc.
Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County, Inc.
Healthy Start Coalition of
Hardee/ Highlands/ Polk Counties, Inc.
Healthy Start Coalition of Manatee County,
Inc.

Healthy Start Coalition of
Southwest Florida, Inc.

Martin County Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
Healthy Start Coalition of Palm Beach
County, Inc.

Broward Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
South Florida Perinatal Network/
Healthy Start Coalition of Dade Couny, Inc.



For Further Information:
Florida Department of Health
1317 Winewood Blvd.
Tallahassee, FL. 32301
(904) 488-2834




This publication was produced by Healthy Mothers-Healthy-Babies Coalition of Boward County, Inc. and funded by the state of Florida, Department of Health, Family Health Services, and the Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition.