The County of Riverside Purchasing Department on behalf of Riverside University Health System Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (RUHS-PH, MCAH), Perinatal Equity Initiative is seeking proposals from parties qualified in providing Community Doula Services Program Intervention Services that will be provided throughout Riverside County. The mission of the California Perinatal Equity Initiative (PEI) under the 2018-2019 Budget Act is to expand and enhance the scope of interventions that will complement the Black Infant Health (BIH) program. The California Legislature acknowledges that there continues to be a statewide gap between mortality rates for Black infants and their counterparts. While California’s overall infant mortality rate ranks 3rd in the nation, the rate of mortality among Black infants continues to be two to four times higher than the rates for other groups statewide. At the same time preterm birth, which is the leading cause of infant death has increased for the third straight year in California. The California of Public Health’s PEI will focus on improving Black infant birth outcomes and reducing Black infant mortality through an array of interventions that are designed to work in parallel with the BIH intervention model. To help women to understand their risks and try to reduce them, BIH offers social support, stress management and empowerment with an emphasis on prenatal/postpartum group dynamics supplemented with one-on-one life planning sessions. Across the United States, including California, Black infants are twice as likely as White infants to die before reaching their first birthday. Therefore, reducing the disproportionate impact of infant mortality for African Americans is a major focus of California’s infant mortality reduction efforts. Infant mortality is an important indicator of a population’s health and the quality of its health care and is an essential tool for monitoring the health and well-being of infants, children, and families. Reducing the risk of infant death requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted life-course approach that addresses both individual and social determinants of health. Therefore, infant mortality reduction strategies must focus not only on improving birth outcomes (e.g., preterm delivery), but also on improving the health of the mother before pregnancy, during pregnancy and between pregnancy by addressing social and environmental factors that impact health
