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Legislation to Curb Infant Mortality Passes House

On September 22, the House passed, 324-64, the Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act (H.R. 3470). The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill on July 28 (see The Source, 7/30/10).

Sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), the measure would authorize $10 million annually for FY2011-2015 for pilot programs in areas in the country with high rates of infant mortality. According to the committee report, the bill would authorize activities that would “provide outreach to at-risk mothers, including at-risk mothers in rural areas; develop and implement standardized systems for improved access, utilization, and quality of services to promote healthy pregnancies, full-term births, and healthy infancies delivered to women and their infants; and establish a regional public education campaign.”