The Initiative
Contact: mheal-haitianinitiative@umich.edu
Problem
Infant mortality has been a prolonging issue in the world, primarily in third world countries. Each year, more than 1 million babies die on the day they are born, 98% of which occur in the developing world. However, most of the causes are preventable, including hypothermia, if given the proper attention.
Our Project
Kangaroo care by the mother to the newborn has been shown to decrease the rate of infant mortality by primarily stabilizing the baby’s heart rate and increasing the overall well being of the infant. However, many of the current infant incubators and other infant warming devices lack this aspect of care. The Initiative plans to combine this method with an incubator-like device to create a sustainable, low cost hybrid infant warmer for developing areas in the world. The hybrid infant warmer will have the functionality of the incubator in being a stand-alone warmer as well as a wearable aspect. Our team is in the process of evaluating the current solutions as well as looking into determining a specific area that has a dire need for our solution and is willing to accept it culturally.