DATA RESOURCES
Data has always been a driving force for B’more for Healthy Babies, helping our initiative evaluate needs in Baltimore City and the success of local interventions.
We make this data publicly available to help partners across Baltimore — and beyond — as they work to ensure every baby is born healthy and ready to thrive in healthy communities.
KEY INDICATORS FOR B’MORE FOR HEALTHY BABIES
Since its founding in 2009, BHB has relied on several key indicators, including Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Teen Birth Rate (TBR), and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), to set and track an overarching strategy across Baltimore City.
The following charts provide trend data over the most recent two decades, city-wide and disaggregated by race.
Since BHB's inception in 2009 and through 2022 (most recent data available),
the Baltimore City infant mortality rate (IMR) rate has decreased by 39% and
the Black-white disparity in infant mortality has decreased by 48%.
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Charts to come: Teen Birth Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate​
The Maryland Department of Health collects and publishes this data annually, with a two-year lag (e.g., 2022 statistics were available in 2024).
NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILES AND MAPS
BHB’s neighborhood-level disaggregation of health indicators revealed sharp racial disparities that had been masked by city-wide data. Data-driven identification of high-risk communities led to targeted interventions; in Upton/Druid Heights and Patterson Park North & East, for example, this approach helped eliminate the Black-wite disparity in infant mortality.
Charts to come: Infant Mortality Rate, Teen Birth Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate​
BCHD updates maps annually as data becomes available from the Maryland Department of Health, Vital Statistics Administration.
The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) tracks data related to safe sleep across the city, by age and in comparison with statewide trends — all updated annually.
Charts to come: Total #s of infant deaths by year, Age of infant at time of death
and Comparison: Baltimore City & Maryland.
BCHD provides this data annually.
Jurisdictions across the country use confidential case review processes to better understand the factors leading to a loss of life and how to prevent it in the future. In Baltimore City, the Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR), the Maternal Mortality Review (MMR), and the Child Fatality Review (CFR), are central to this work, with resulting recommendations documented to inform practice and policy change aimed at preventing mortality.
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Following are findings and recommendations from the most recent case review processes:
Charts to come: 2024 FIMR, 2023 MMR
Question: which docs are public and should be listed here? (FIMR, MMR, CFR) Should we list one or two years?
Other important recommendations are available through:
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Maryland Maternal Health Innovation Program (MDMOM) Severe Maternal Morbidity Report
BHB aims to make data available to institutions and communities whenever possible. We do this by providing local-level data (e.g., the number of infant deaths due to safe sleep after birth at a requesting hospital; the number of PIMR submissions at a requesting facility v. the number of eligible families) and advising those working to access available local, state, or national data.
Please reach out WHERE? with any questions related to accessing available data.
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Hospital specific data, which includes XXX; reach out to YYY.
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Safe Sleep data, which includes XXX; reach out to YYY.
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PIMR [& PRA?] submission rates, reach out to YYY.
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[[Maryland Maternal Health Report Card?? Possible LINK??]]
B’more for Healthy Babies’ uses data-informed decision-making to guide strategies, evaluate progress, and improve health outcomes for pregnant women, babies, and families. The approach helps understand and address persistent racial and geographic disparities in health outcomes.
Through local data, BHB can develop and implement strategies uniquely tailored to each community's needs, increasing the relevance, effectiveness, and impact of our work. This approach supports BHB's mission to promote social and economic justice, ensure quality care during pregnancy, and connect people to resources. This data also empowers community leaders and partners with the evidence they need to advocate for change, evaluate progress, and align resources.
Today, BHB works to:
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Provide access to population-level data that is not publicly available
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Help find and access publicly available data
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Interpret and critically assess data trends and maps
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Strengthen data literacy and communication, using an anti-racist lens
ABOUT US >
Sponsored by the
Office of Mayor Brandon M. Scott,
Baltimore City Health Department, Family League of Baltimore, and HealthCare Access Maryland
Made possible by generous funding from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, City of Baltimore, Maryland Department of Health, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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