The First 5 Sacramento Commission reports a 45 percent decrease in the rate of African American infant deaths between 2013 and 2016 - and a 76 percent decrease in disparity with all infant deaths among other races. Of the more than 600 babies born to clients, 85 percent were born full-term and at a healthy weight. The Commission is crediting community programs for the improvements.
“We have programs that are going directly into the community and meeting families where they’re at,” said program planner Linda Fong-Somera. “It’s to give them the education and tools they need to have healthy and happy pregnancies and to give them the education they need so they can successfully sleep their babies.”
First Five Sacramento invested $14 million over the three years in an effort to improve birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality. First Five Programs are funded through June of 2021 through the voter-approved Prop 10 tobacco tax of 1998 ("The Children and Families Act").