North Carolina Infant Mortality Rate Drops

North Carolina's infant mortality rate took its sharpest drop in two decades in 2010, dipping from nearly eight deaths per 1,000 live births to seven, state officials announced Tuesday. It's the lowest rate ever recorded in the state, down from 12.6 per 1,000 in 1988, when North Carolina's rate was the worst in the nation, and down from about 100 deaths per 1,000 live births in the early part of the 20th century. One of the most expensive, and most successful, targets high-risk mothers, he said. The Nurse-Family Partnership, which gets some of its funding from private sources, pays for a registered nurse for every 25 families, targeting high-risk moms who are young, poor and having their first child. Nurses work with the mothers for two years, beginning before a baby is born, coaching and lending them support. Because of the cost, it can be funded only in a few counties, Engel said. Another program, called Healthy Beginnings, worked with 900 pregnant minority women in 2010 without losing a single infant. It emphasized the importance of breast-feeding, taking vitamins and maintaining healthy weight as well as infant sleep safety techniques. The programs are part of an effort stretching back more than 20 years, when North Carolina had one of the highest infant death rates in the country. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that some child advocates warned that the progress made since then could be lost because of budget changes state lawmakers made this year, including the elimination of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund and the ending of a state grant to a clinic at East Carolina University specializing in high-risk pregnancies. "Unfortunately, decisions by our state legislators in 2011 could put North Carolina back into the dark ages when it comes to infant mortality," said Rob Thompson, executive director of The Covenant With North Carolina's Children, a coalition of child advocacy groups. Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/11/02/1612690/fewer-nc-infants-died-in-10.html#ixzz1cXtRgwFl

Leading Causes of Infant Mortality

According the CDC, leading causes of infant mortality include congenital abnormalities, pre-term/low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), problems related to complications of pregnancy, and respiratory distress syndrome. These study demonstrate the need for quality medical care. The infant mortality rate continues to be greater among the less affluent. They are provided healthcare through program mentioned above, but is it the quality received by those who can afford a practice practitioner? All mothers and children should receive medical care meeting or exceeding the same standard of care. When the doctor fail to meet said standard, they or the hospital may be liable for birth injuries or infant deaths.

Infant Mortality Lawyer

Attorney who successfully represent the parents grieving an infant mortally are few. North Carolina laws have been change to further protect doctors, even when their negligence lead the the baby's death. The Clore Law Group has, and will continue to, represent victims of medical negligence regardless of the increased difficulty at the hands of legislators. If you believe your baby's death may be cause for a negligence infant mortality claims, contact birth injury lawyers at the Clore Law Group today.