UPDATE: Posted Wednesday, September 17, 2008 --- 5:00 pm

Infant mortality rates are declining sharply, by 70 percent in Dane County, among African Americans since the 1990s. Now, a half million dollar grant will help researchers study the driving forces behind this trend.

Dr. Tom Schlenker is the Executive Director of Public Health of Madison and Dane County. He says, "29 babies have lived who otherwise would have died." That is what a 70% decrease in infant mortality means in real terms, 29 lives saved along with millions of dollars in health care costs. But now researchers are left asking themselves the age old question, why?

Dr. Tom Schlenker says since 2000 there have been tremendous improvements in the survival of infants born at St. Mary's Hospital and Meriter Hospital. Dr. Schlenker says, "What could be happening in the neonatal intensive care unit for these tiny babies to get born that are now surviving that didn't before, could that be new technologies, new physical plant new personal, new processes?" A likely cause for the decrease in infant mortality rate which focuses on the first month of life. Dr. Schlenker says, "80% of all infants who die, die in the first month of life and they've never even left the hospital."

But researchers believe it is likely a combination of factors including social, economic and prenatal care, among others. Dr. Schlenker says, "I personally believe that probably has something to do with the African American community that is somehow, someway supporting pregnant women in a way that is really giving wonderful results." Mayor Dave Cieslewicz adds, "We feel that if we do understand why that is then we may be able to replicate those good things in other parts of our state and other parts of our nation."

The Dane County health department found an improvement in white mortality in the county as well.

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Posted Tuesday, September 16, 2008 --- 8:50pm

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A $500,000 grant will fund a study of how Dane County has cut the mortality rate for African-American babies and how the success could be repeated elsewhere.

The Dane County rate was around 19 deaths per 1,000 births until 2001 before dropping to 6 deaths per 1,000 from 2002 to 2006. Plans also call for studying Racine, where the rate is four times higher, and other areas.

Wisconsin's rate of 17 deaths per 1,000 births is among the nation's highest.

University of Wisconsin-Madison medical researchers and the Madison-Dane County Health Department will do the analysis. The grant is from the Wisconsin Partnership Program created with money paid to the state when Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wisconsin became for-profit.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.