LOOP
IN
THE
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software and services and began receiving
equipment shortly thereafter. To date,
the county has received all 1,650 DS200
precinct scanners and 1,650 ExpressVote
ballot marking devices, along with four
of the eight DS850 high speed digital
image scanners that were ordered. The
division recently ordered two additional
DS850 scanners.
Public voting system demonstrations
are being held in locations throughout the
county, thanks to partnerships with the
Allegheny County Library Association,
the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, local
shopping malls and other organizations.
While demonstrations are still being
finalized, the website contains a list of
scheduled demonstrations that will begin
on March 15. As new locations and dates
are confirmed, that information will be
added to the website calendar.
Voters throughout the county will
begin hearing a lot about the new voting
systems, when targeted advertising
and outreach will begin. Residents will
see the campaign on local television,
billboards, movie theaters, in print, and
on transit. There are also radio and digital
spots planned.
The county could establish satellite
centers for in-person voting of absentee
and mail-in ballots. Act 77 of 2019,
which contained a number of election
reforms, provides general information
on the initiative which includes a
requirement that locations be in county-
owned or county-leased properties, and
that such centers be located outside of
the municipality in which the county
seat is located. For security reasons,
only locations that are hardwired to
the county’s system can be considered.
Elections staff was asked to come back
to the board at its next meeting with
recommendations on the use of satellite
centers in advance of the April 28,
2020 election.
In addition to updates on
AlleghenyVotes.com and the county’s
elections webpage, constituents can also
receive information related to the election
on the county’s Facebook and Twitter
pages, as well as through Allegheny Alerts
(elections should be selected on the
individual’s profile).
8
724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
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HEALTH DEPARTMENT
AND HEALTHY START
TO INCREASE EFFORTS
TO ADDRESS BIRTH
DISPARITIES
The Allegheny County Health
Department’s (ACHD) Maternal and
Child Health Program (MCH) and
Healthy Start, Inc., announced that they
will receive three years of training and
technical assistance from CityMatCH
to develop programs and policies
and to implement equity-focused
strategies aimed at reducing birth
disparities in Allegheny County.
While there has been an overall decline
in national Infant Mortality Rate (IMR),
data shows that there continues to be birth
disparities in Allegheny County, as black
babies are dying at 3-4 times the rate of
white babies.
“There is growing recognition
that chronic exposure to structural
and institutional racism, regardless
of a mother’s socioeconomic status or
educational attainment, are primary
contributors to the high rates of infant
mortality among black women,” said
Dannai Wilson, ACHD Maternal and
Child Health Program Manager. “This
opportunity to advance our work to
reduce disparities in pre-term births is a
result of years of planning with our Infant
Mortality Collaborative membership
of over 100 stakeholders from various
sectors, including community residents.
We look forward to continuing these
icmags.com
partnerships so all women and children in
this region have access to a long healthy
life, especially black women and infants,
given their rates of mortality.”
CityMatCH is a national organization
serving local, urban health departments
in their maternal and child health efforts.
The organization launched its Birth Equity
Strategies Together (BEST) Cities Project
through a $1.4 million grant from the W.K
Kellogg Foundation. The BEST Cities
Project includes the Institute for Equity in
Birth Outcomes (EI) and designation as a
Best Babies Zone (BBZ).
In addition to receiving training
and assistance, ACHD was selected to
participate in the Institute for Equity
in Birth Outcomes, and Healthy Start’s
place-based initiative in Wilkinsburg was
designated as a Best Babies Zone.
These initiatives are designed to both
address inequities in birth outcomes, and
to add to the menu of evidence-based
and/or promising practices, programs,
and policies for improving equity in
birth outcomes.
“Although our working relationship
goes back much further, we’ve worked
tirelessly the past three years with ACHD’s
Maternal and Child Health Program
to combat birth disparities in our area,
which has resulted in this huge win for the
health of women, babies and communities
in Allegheny County,” said Jada Shirriel,
Chief Executive Officer of Healthy
Start, Inc.
For more information, visit:
healthystartpittsburgh.org. n