(BLACK PR WIRE) MIAMI – More infant lives are being saved than ever before, and the Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade (HSCMD) is ready to celebrate! HSCMD will host its Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Treetop Ballroom at Jungle Island, 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail in Miami. This year’s theme is “Celebrating 10 Years of Accomplishments,” which include 2010 marking Miami-Dade County’s lowest infant mortality rates on record. The event will also recognize “Champions of Change,” local hospitals for their evidence-based maternity care.

“We are ecstatic to mark 10 years of accomplishments in the field of maternal, infant and child health,” said Manuel Fermin, CEO of HSCMD. “We are leading the charge to save our young children’s lives by raising infant mortality awareness, educating parents and providing much-needed services to the community.”

Highlights of the Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony include reviewing 10 years of achievement countywide. Chief among them is the declining local infant mortality rate, a key indicator of HSCMD programming success. 2010 reported Miami-Dade County’s infant mortality rate at 4.4 (138) deaths per 1,000 births. That’s a decrease from 5.8 (188) deaths in 2009 and 5.2 (174) in 2008 and well-below the statewide 6.5 (1,400) rate.

HSCMD has also joined with South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association to present the “Champions of Change” evidence-based maternity care awards. Eleven local hospitals and birthing centers will be recognized for launching efforts to provide optimal levels of infant feeding care.

The cost to attend the event is $45.00 per person and $400.00 for a table of ten (prior to December 5, 2011). The cost is $55.00 per person and $500.00 per table after December 5. HSCMD is also offering sponsorship opportunities with varying degrees of benefits. Persons planning to attend are encouraged to reserve and pay online at hscmd.org or by contacting Karen Liederman at (786) 942-5660.

Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade serves as a community-based prenatal care agency for at-risk mothers and babies. One of the organization’s top programs, MomCare, is committed to improving birth outcomes and reducing infant mortality rates through guidance, education and care coordination for expecting mothers. In 2010, HSCMD launched the federally funded Jasmine Project to focus on reducing racial disparities in black infant mortality and health outcomes in Miami-Dade County. It complements the State of Florida statewide Healthy Start Program that provides universal screening to all pregnant women and infants. For more information on the Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade, please call (305) 541-0210 or visit hscmd.org.

WHO: HEALTHY START COALITION OF MIAMI-DADE

WHAT: ANNUAL MEETING AND AWARDS CEREMONY

WHEN: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2011 ● 11:30 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

WHERE: JUNGLE ISLAND ● TREETOP BALLROOM ● 1111 PARROT JUNGLE TRAIL ● MIAMI, FLORIDA 33132