The proposal was successful, winning for the city millions of dollars in federal funds - and, equally important, accountability for actually making a difference in infant health in the city's targeted areas. That was twice the national rate of infant mortality. The five-year period ends in 1997. But early data show intriguing results, as well as surprising contradictions of conventional wisdom. At a recent meeting of the Maryland Commission on Infant Mortality Prevention, Healthy Start officials presented preliminary findings showing that pregnant women enrolled in Healthy Start programs had significantly better outcomes than women who enrolled after their babies were born.
Conventional wisdom suggests that good prenatal care is key to reducing infant mortality.
But among women in the high-risk areas targeted by Healthy Start.