Ed Whitfield: “There has been a lot of debate in the United States about infant mortality. And when we hear that the U.S. ranks 30th in…”

“There has been a lot of debate in the United States about infant mortality. And when we hear that the U.S. ranks 30th in the world, it certainly bothers all of us. I do think it is important that we also recognize, just for informational purposes, that not every country in the world uses the same method to determine infant mortality. For example, in the United States, all live births at any birthweight or gestational age must be reported. In France, for example, only live births of at least 22 weeks of gestation or weighing at least 500 grams must be reported. So some of these countries use different reporting facts to determine their mortality rates. There is no question that certain communities in the United States have infant mortality rates that are persistently high. And this legislation authorizes HHS to award grants for pilot projects to reduce infant mortality in the communities with the highest infant mortality rates and would require these projects be evaluated to ensure we are on the right track to reducing infant mortality rates in those areas and in the United States.”