This brief discusses the community conditions that can trigger an asthma attack, and demonstrates ways that communities across the country are working to reduce those triggers. It provides policy options that local, state, and federal policymakers can pursue to improve community environments, based on evidence about factors that can make a difference. It also highlights promising practices that have worked well in communities and successful strategies used by community advocates and policymakers, such as community education and mobilization efforts.

To better understand the issues and to inform its deliberation in formulating recommendations for policy, research, and practice, the Infant Mortality Commission asked experts in various fields related to maternal and child health and infant mortality to prepare background papers on specific issues. This background paper examines the critical relationship between breastfeeding and infant mortality among African Americans, the racial/ethnic group with the lowest rate of breastfeeding. The authors explore the benefits of breastfeeding and the issues associated with racial/ethnic disparities in breastfeeding, concluding with an action plan for closing the gap through promotion of breastfeeding based on education, training, awareness, support, and research. This analysis complements and reinforces the recommendations of other Courage to Love: Infant Mortality Commission background and framing papers on infant mortality and maternal nutrition; infant mortality and resilience; the historical framework of policies and practices to reduce infant mortality; the authentic voices of those affected by infant mortality; and infant mortality in a global context.

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During the past twenty-five years, a series of public policies have had a negative impact upon young men from communities of color.

During the past twenty-five years, a significant amount of attention has been devoted to the issues of teen sexual activity and pregnancy, especially in communities of color.

To assess and ultimately help meet the needs of youth who age out of foster care in the United States, the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (JCHPI)—with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and in partnership with the Black Administrators in Child Welfare Inc. (BACW)—conducted reconnaissance on the unmet needs of these youth. This project was undertaken to guide the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in thinking about steps they might take to help meet the needs of youth who age out of foster care in this country. Conducting a literature review, a telephone survey, and listening sessions enabled us to develop insights into the workings of the foster care system and the experiences of youth while in the system and when aging out of it.

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SEATTLE – The King County PLACE MATTERS Team will host a three-day meeting Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Pan Pacific Hotel to address the social conditions that lead to poor health outcomes in individuals from low-income communities and communities of color.

More than 100 representatives from 24 U.S. cities and counties will attend the PLACE MATTERS Design Lab 11. PLACE MATTERS is a national initiative of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute and is funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

"We are honored to host this important meeting among groups from around the country that are addressing the root causes of inequities," said King County Executive Kurt Triplett. "With our King County Equity and Social Justice Initiative, we have made a commitment to work with our local communities on comprehensive solutions. We want all our residents to live in vibrant communities where they can achieve their full potential."

“We need new approaches if we are to unravel the complex problems that contribute to the health care crisis in communities of color,” said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center. “We can never lose sight of the fact that inequitable social conditions contribute to health inequities.”

On Wednesday, participants will be welcomed to King County by Councilmember Julia Patterson, who is also chair of the King County Board of Health. A King County tour on that day will include a visit to the Longhouse of the Duwamish Tribe, the host tribe for Seattle, in addition to visit and walking tour of Greenbridge, a new, mixed-income, master planned community in White Center.

PLACE MATTERS takes an approach that crosses disciplines in problem solving. Teams, comprised of business, public and private sector leaders, are exposed not only to experts in community health and public health but also others in economic development, transportation, affordable housing, public policy and smart growth. PLACE MATTERS has 16 teams across the United States that are engaged in forming partnerships with major stakeholders in a variety of fields to make systemic changes that can lead to improved health status in their communities.

Improving health status by tackling broad social problems such as a lack of affordable housing, inadequate schools, violence and anemic economic development combines social and medical theory. PLACE MATTERS is moving theory into practice by equipping communities with the tools to change the social conditions that impact health outcomes.

A hallmark of the PLACE MATTERS Initiative is the collaboration and networking among team members both to provide a support system and to disseminate best practices.

For more information on the King County Equity & Social Justice Initiative, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

WASHINGTON--Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, today announced that the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (HPI) has been awarded more than $2.58 million in federal stimulus funds to enhance communication among groups working to reduce health inequities in more than 20 communities around the United States.

HPI will use a grant of $1.33 million during the coming year to develop and disseminate locally-tailored Community Health Equity reports in 24 communities where PLACE MATTERS teams are operating. Generating and disseminating research in these communities will lead to long-term improvements in the health of low-income communities and communities of color. The grant is from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health.

HPI also will use a $1.25 million grant from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPH) to give PLACE MATTERS teams greater access to Internet-based tools for mapping, information sharing and community engagement. Then, the teams can monitor and collect data on community health status and social determinants of health and share ideas that work with other CDC grantees. NCCDPH is an agency in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This grant will be spent in equal parts over five years.

“We are delighted to obtain new, long-term support for our PLACE MATTERS initiative, which is enabling local citizens to make genuine progress against health inequities in their communities,” said Everett.

“These grants speak to the potential of PLACE MATTERS to empower people and transform neighborhoods to promote good health,” said Dr. Brian D. Smedley, Vice President and Director of HPI.

PLACE MATTERS takes an approach that crosses disciplines in problem solving. Teams, comprised of public and private sector leaders, are exposed not only to experts in community health and public health but also others in economic development, transportation, affordable housing, public policy and smart growth. PLACE MATTERS has 16 teams across the United States that are engaged in forming partnerships with major stakeholders in a variety of fields to make systemic changes that can lead to improved health status in their communities. The program was initiated with generous support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

WASHINGTON – The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies today convened a new Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes to raise public awareness of how greater involvement by expectant fathers can improve maternal and child health.

The Commission is co-chaired by Michael Lu, M.D., MPH, an Associate Professor of obstetrics and gynecology and public health at UCLA’s Schools of Medicine and Public Health in Los Angeles, and Willie J. Parker, M.D., MPH, Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC.

During their meeting today at the Joint Center, Commission members identified factors that discourage fathers-to-be from playing an active role during pregnancy. The panel developed guidelines that can be incorporated in research, public health policy and clinical practice that recognize the important role expectant and new fathers can play in family health matters, and to encourage their participation during and after pregnancy.

The Joint Center is a leading public policy and research institution whose work focuses primarily on African Americans and other communities of color, and the Commission’s work will place special emphasis on the problems of African American expectant fathers.

Low birthweight and preterm birth are leading risk factors for infant mortality, which in turn is an important indicator of the health of a nation. The United States ranks 29th in infant mortality among developed countries. The infant mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was 2.4 times the rate for non-Hispanic white women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Seventy percent of African American children are born to unmarried mothers and 40 percent of all American children live in homes without fathers.

“The Commission is initiating important work that will lead to healthier mothers and babies and stronger families,” said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center. “We believe the Commission will be a catalyst for positive changes in policies, programs, personal behavior and clinical practice.”

“This is about building a movement to change the way we perceive the man's role during pregnancy and to make sure that fathers-to-be understand how their involvement can make a profound difference in the lives of their pregnant partners and children,” said Dr. Jermane Bond, the Joint Center Research Associate who is directing the work of the Commission. “Ultimately, we want all young men to accept their share of responsibility and embrace their proper roles during pregnancy.”

The Commission’s work is funded with a grant from the Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to the chairpersons, other commission members are:

Allen Herman, M.D., Ph.D., founding Dean of the National School of Public Health, Medical University of Southern Africa, Republic of South Africa, Pretoria.

Bryant Marks, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Morehouse Male Initiative, Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA.

Yolanda C. Padilla, MSSW, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work and Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Texas, Austin, TX.

Audra Robertson, M.D., MPH, Clinical Director, Birth Equity Initiative: Eliminating the Racial Disparity in Infant Mortality, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Community Health and Health Equity.

Roland Warren, President of the National Fatherhood Initiative in Washington, DC.

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, M.D., MPH, Director, Bureau of Family, Youth and Infant Health, Metro Nashville Davidson County Public Health Department, Nashville, TN.

Pete Thomas, M.D., Medical Director, Project Brotherhood, Chicago, IL.