New Mexico Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, Category B. Existing State NM PRAMS has been part of the CDC PRAMS cooperative agreement since 1996. The project has achieved great success in operational and data-to-action translation for the entire project period. As a minority-majority state NM PRAMS has seen a marked decline in survey response since the 2006 data collection period. NM is among only three PRAMS states (NM, TX, HI) with more than a 50% minority birth population. This makes the data particularly important and the collection of those data very challenging among all strata. NM PRAMS intends to overcome this barrier by making the survey more accessible (via web) and by solidifying fiscal agreements with key client/data partners (WIC, Healthy Start, Office of Border Health) to match survey incentives, starting in 2011. NM PRAMS enjoys an active and highly committed Steering Committee and has an impressive policy development track record resulting from PRAMS data applications throughout the state. The staff members are consistent and highly suited to the work of public health surveillance. NM PRAMS is a key contributor to the Title V and NMDOH Department of Health Strategic plans. The surveillance both responds to and guides priorities for Maternal and Child Health in the state of New Mexico. New Mexico has a rich cultural heritage reflected in American Indian, Hispanic and non- Hispanic 'Anglo'settlements. The PRAMS project addresses the complexity and realities associated with a diverse population living in poverty but excelling in its concern for the health of mothers and infants. The PRAMS provides a context for understanding health risks, barriers to access, and protective factors only gleaned through the lens of ongoing rigorous research. Through the aims and objectives stated in the Research Plan, it is clear that PRAMS is not only a mainstay for Public Health in NM, but reflects the personal fabric of the women answering the survey and providing information to help future generations of NM mother and infants.
New Mexico Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, Category B. Existing State NM PRAMS has been part of the CDC PRAMS cooperative agreement since 1996. The project has achieved great success in operational and data-to-action translation for the entire project period. New Mexico has been a significant contributor to the aims and objectives of the cooperative agreement in the state and national arenas. Through the aims and objectives stated in the Research Plan, it is clear that PRAMS is not only a mainstay for Public Health in NM, but reflects the personal fabric of the women answering the survey and providing information to help future generations of NM mother and infants. PRAMS is the only population source of maternal and infant health data for the state of NM, and NM is one of the only states with a truly diverse population, both demographically and culturally. It is crucial to maintain NM as part of the representative population-based MCH surveillance systems in the United States.