In 2012, Dr. Michael Lu, Associate Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau with the help of the MCH Training program and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), launched the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) in the thirteen southern states that make up Public Health regions IV and VI. The goal of the CoIIN as a National Strategy is to reduce infant

mortality and improve birth outcomes utilizing multiple strategies. This collaborative leverages expert

knowledge to create innovations that are based on sound science and innovative policy. This monumental call to action included a partnership with State officials "to find out what works [to reduce

infant mortality] and scale up the best interventions to the national level." While much work has been

completed, there is still more to be done to inform and advance this National Strategy, as well as

state/local infant mortality reduction strategies (e.g., Title V MCH Block Grant, Healthy Start, Maternal,

Infant, and Early Childhood Horne Visiting, etc.). Therefore, the Infant Mortality Collaborative

Improvement and Innovation Network (CollN) was expanded to include the remaining HHS Regions,

Regions I‐III and Regions VII‐X. Connecticut, as one of the Region I states, is now participating in CollN

at no cost to the State. The Infant Mortality Summits for Regions I‐III and VII‐X were held in July 2014, and served as Phase One of the national expansion of the Infant Mortality CoIIN to these Regions.

 

The CT CoIIN Team includes Deputy Commissioner Katherine K. Lewis and Marcie Cavacas (CT’s

Title V Director) as the co‐leads with an additional 6 members including Jennifer Morin (CT DPH

MCH Epidemiologist), Jordana Frost (CT March of Dimes), Kenn Harris (New Haven Healthy Start),

Kate McEvoy, Esq. (Department of Social Services), Attilio Granata, MD and Mary Ann Cyr

(Community Health Network of CT, Inc.). The CT team participates in conference calls and

webinars as well as submits required project documents outlining decisions on the activities and

strategies CT will utilize with the goal of reducing infant mortality. The CT CoIIN team supports

the strategies and recommendations outlined in this CT Plan to Improve Birth Outcomes, as

they provide great synergy and sustainability potential to the efforts that will be moved

forward during the CoIIN initiative project period.