[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               INTRODUCTION OF HEALTHY START LEGISLATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 5, 1999

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of our 
nation's infants and their mothers.
  As a parent, I understand that children flourish in our society when 
they have a healthy environment to develop and learn. But most 
importantly, they must have a healthy start at life.
  Sadly, however, four babies die each hour and 33,000 babies die each 
year in the U.S. before they are a year old.
  In 1992, 17 out of 1,000 babies born in my home district of Baltimore 
City did not live to see their first birthdays. In the most deprived 
neighborhoods of our city, that rate was 20 out of 1,000!
  Poor women were effectively shut out of affordable prenatal care and 
often had children who were severely underweight or born with birth 
defects that could have easily been prevented through adequate medical 
treatment.
  However, our city's infant mortality rate has dropped 31 percent 
since the implementation of Healthy Start. In fact, in the two 
neighborhoods where Baltimore's Healthy Start Centers are located and 
easily accessible, the rate has been slashed a staggering 61% from 
earlier rates. The national infant mortality rate is also at a historic 
low of 7.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1997, and the proportion of 
mothers getting early prenatal care is at a record high of 82 percent.
  Healthy Start is a phenomenal program that empowers urban communities 
to fully address the medical, behavioral, cultural, and social service 
needs of women and their infants by building strong coalitions and 
commitment among families, volunteers, the private sector, and health 
care and social service providers.

  I have seen the difference this program has made in saving the lives 
of our children and their parents, as well as transforming the lives of 
the men and women who work for the program. The employees and 
volunteers have developed invaluable skills and a sense of pride in 
their service to nurture families.
  As such, I will reintroduce legislation that I sponsored during the 
105th Congress that makes the Healthy Start Initiative, which began in 
1991 as a demonstration program, a permanent one.
  I believe that as lawmakers, we have a duty to our nation's mothers 
and their unborn to: encourage women to make healthy choices during 
pregnancy by seeking prenatal care; reduce infant deaths and promote 
the birth of healthy babies; and provide healthy environments in which 
these future generations can flourish.
  Healthy Start has been a successful component to accomplishing these 
goals and should be a permanent instrument in our efforts to cultivate 
healthy children.
  Let's make a permanent difference in the lives of our nation's 
children. We owe every baby a healthy entrance into this world and each 
deserves a healthy start!
  I urge support of my Healthy Start legislation.

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