NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR REDUCING INFANT-MORTALITY IN BALTIMORE CITY - THE HEALTHY START PROGRAM

Needs assessments are essential for policy formulation and the appropr iate design of intervention programs. Recent nationwide data show that among large metropolitan areas of the United States, Baltimore has on e of the highest infant mortality rates and ranks in the worst top 10 for blacks and the top 5 for whites for most indicators of poor pregna ncy outcome. In this paper, we present the methods and results of a ne eds assessment that used multiple sources of routinely collected data and was conducted for the purpose of identifying intervention factors contributing to infant mortality in Baltimore City. This needs assessm ent was used by the Baltimore City Health Department to successfully s ecure funding for the federal Healthy Start Infant Mortality Preventio n Initiative. We present the results of the analyses, along with some of the proposed interventions that resulted from the needs assessment. We also discuss the limitations of this type of needs assessment as w ell as suggestions for future needs assessments for the design of inte rventions to improve perinatal health.