Our Approach
Model
Project Butterfly is part of a national FIMR model, guided by the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention. FIMR teams review fetal and infant deaths, identify contributing factors, and recommend community-based interventions to prevent future losses.
We work through collaboration across healthcare, social services, and community partners, family storytelling, and community engagement, we work to improve services, resources, and outcomes for women, infants, and families—especially those most impacted by inequities.
Programs in Pennsylvania Allegheny County and Philadelphia
2
States including Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands
23
Active FIMR Programs Operating across the U.S.
150+
As of 2024, there are over
Highlighting a continued opportunity to expand this approach across the state.
Parental Experience and Story Collection Team:
Hosts confidential, trauma-informed conversations with families to ensure lived experience drives healthcare improvements.
Community Action Team (CAT):
Mobilizes community members and providers to implement educational programs and advocacy initiatives.
Case Review Team (CRT):
Analyzes fetal and infant death data to uncover systemic gaps and guide community-led interventions.
Project Butterfly has adapted the national FIMR model to address the unique context of Allegheny County. The four components of the model work collaboratively to improve services, systems, and resources for women, infants, and families:
Clinical Action Collaborative (CAC):
Partners with healthcare systems to identify gaps in care and implement evidence-based best practices in clinical spaces.
Focus Areas & Initiatives
The disparities in Allegheny County are striking, with Black babies dying before the age of 1 at a rate over five times that of white babies.
Black women and birthing people in Allegheny County have nearly twice the proportion of pre-term births and over twice the proportion of low birth weight babies compared to white women and birthing people. Black women in Pittsburgh die from pregnancy and childbirth related complications at a rate higher than 97 percent of similar cities (Allegheny County BIRTH Plan, 2022).
And focuses on advancing community initiatives in three key areas:
Given these glaring inequities in maternal and child health, an equity-centered, community driven approach to action is the only way to create meaningful and lasting change for Black women and birthing people and their babies and families. Therefore, Project Butterfly has centered two core focus areas:
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Centering Black Births and
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Education and Advocacy
Research & Resources
Oghifobibi, O. Unifying Efforts: A Collaborative Approach to Reducing Infant Mortality Disparities. Postpartum Pittsburgh Spring Conference, April 19, 2024. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. https://postpartumpgh.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Infant-Mortality-04192024_compressed.pdf