A series of in-depth articles appeared in The Commercial Appeal in 2005 about infant mortality in Shelby County, Tennessee and was followed by the 2006 Governor’s Summit, which was focused on the problem statewide. These events became the catalysts for increasing awareness of infant mortality and its associated disparities in Shelby County.

This growing awareness has resulted in collective and continuous community engagement over the last 10 years to combat the high local infant mortality rate.