Leveraging the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Process to Advance Health Equity

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Health Equity

Background:

• Racial disparities in birth outcomes persist, necessitating community-based strategies.
• The Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) process is a community-oriented approach to improving health systems for families.
• FIMR integrates medical records and family narratives to understand and address systemic issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how a FIMR program in Indianapolis (Marion County, IN) enhanced its Community Action Team (CAT) capacity.
• To address racial disparities in birth outcomes through a structured, community-driven process.
• To demonstrate effective strategies for improving maternal and child health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Focused on primary causes of local fetal/infant mortality and high-mortality neighborhoods.
• Appointed a dedicated CAT leader and fostered regular meetings with a health-equity curriculum.
• Included Grassroots Maternal and Child Health Leaders in the CAT to enhance community engagement.

Main Results:

• The FIMR process successfully built CAT capacity to address racial disparities.
• Synergy between local organizations and community members was key to addressing birth outcome disparities.
• The five-step approach demonstrated a viable model for community-level systems change.

Conclusions:

• Community-based FIMR programs can effectively reduce racial disparities in birth outcomes.
• Integrating community members and health-equity training strengthens CAT effectiveness.
• Collaborative efforts between organizations and communities are crucial for improving maternal and child health systems.