Perinatal Program

The State Perinatal Program identifies and recommends strategies that will effectively decrease infant morbidity and mortality. The Program encourages cooperative relationships among healthcare providers and institutions to ensure medically effective and cost-efficient perinatal care and to raise awareness regarding infant morbidity and mortality. Learn more about our program by reading the Program Overview below.

Program Overview

To confront the state's high infant mortality rate, a group of physicians, other health providers, and interested citizens came together and became the impetus behind the passage of the Alabama Perinatal Health Act in 1980. This statute established the State Perinatal Program and the mechanism for its operation under the direction of the State Board of Health.

The State Perinatal Program is based on a concept of regionalization of care, a systems approach in which program components in a geographic area are defined and coordinated to ensure that pregnant women and their infants have access to appropriate care. The state's regional perinatal health care system is composed of five regions. The availability of neonatal intensive care (NICU) directs the organization of the regionalized care system.

What's New

All pregnant women should get screened for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria, as GBS disease can be very serious --- even deadly --- for babies. The best way to prevent GBS disease during the first week of life is to give antibiotics, during labor, to women at increased risk. Antibiotics cannot be given before labor begins because the bacteria can grow back quickly. Click the link below to learn more.

• Preventing Group B Strep Disease in Newborns