FIMR

The Healthy Start Coalition of Okaloosa and Walton Counties is proud to be a part of the local Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) team for District 1, which encompasses Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, Okaloosa County, and Walton County. We collaborate closely with The National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention to address the factors and issues impacting infant and fetal deaths. Through comprehensive case reviews, we aim to gain insights into systemic issues within our district.

Our review process involves thorough audits of medical and social records, as well as conducting family interviews. These interviews serve a dual purpose: gathering essential information and providing support to families following their loss. We then create de-identified Case Summaries that serve as the basis for our monthly meetings with the Case Review Team. This team comprises medical and community professionals who analyze the Case Summaries and develop recommendations for systemic-level changes in our local community. To ensure effective implementation of these recommendations, a Community Action Group is formed.

FIMR is driven by the belief that the survival and well-being of every baby should be a collective concern for the entire community. Fetal and infant deaths serve as sentinel events, shedding light on systemic and resource-related issues. Our diverse and multidisciplinary FIMR teams come together to examine individual cases, seeking to understand the underlying causes and prevent future deaths. The inclusion of parent and family interviews provides valuable insights that cannot be captured through routine quantitative methods, empowering our teams to make more impactful community recommendations. By identifying local factors contributing to fetal and infant mortality, our reviews pave the way for targeted interventions and improvements.

The reasons go unexplained for 1 in 3 cases. The rest may be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord, high blood pressure, infections, birth defects, or lifestyle choices. Stillbirth happens in 1 out of 160 pregnancies yearly in the U.S.
Cleveland Clinic; Aug 27, 2020

If you or someone you know has been impacted by a fetal or infant loss, please consult our resources below:

Memory boxes: Healthy Start can offer memory boxes to any family who has experienced a fetal or infant loss. The memory box is put together by Project Sweet Peas

Annual Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day: Healthy Start annually joins the country in honoring those we have lost on October 15th, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. For information about this event, check out our calendar.

Facebook Page: Escambia County Healthy Start maintains Light in the Darkness: Healthy Start Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support. A Facebook page that seeks to be a resource for families who have suffered a loss, be it at 12 weeks gestation or 12 months old. We hope to provide a compassionate understanding that families are not alone and that there are others who have been in your shoes. Please visit and like @LightinthedarknessHealthyStart on Facebook.

For more information about any of the information listed above including resources, events, or FIMR meetings, please contact Asia Stata at asia@hsow.org