After his name popped up in a report raising questions about the city's Infant Mortality Prevention program, Rep. Cory Mason said Friday he was happy with how the program was progressing.
"It's moving forward," said Mason, D-Racine, who helped secure a two-year, $500,000 grant to reduce the number baby deaths in the city.
He said a meeting was held at Wingspread in the last month to plan the program, and organizers have been steadily working on implementing efforts to help at-risk pregnant moms.
But in the city's response to a Family Medical Leave complaint filed by Janelle Grammer, questions were raised about the status of the Infant Mortality program, including at least one by Mason.
In the complaint, written by a private attorney hired by the city, it says City Administrator Ben Hughes asked Grammer in April 2008 to hire a nurse or nurses to make home visits to begin field work and make home visits to pregnant women. Seven months later the nurses were not hired, according to the city's response.
This, apparently, caught Mason's attention. The city's response says Mason called Hughes to inquire on the program.
"Subsequent to the Nov. 5 meeting, Mr Hughes received a telephone call from Assemblyman Cory Mason expressing his concerns that this State-funded has not been implemented as timely and efficiently as he expected."
Mason said Friday he wouldn't comment on Grammer's situation, and that he was "happy" with how the Infant Mortality grant is being used. Money is the only problem organizers are facing, he said.
"We don't have enough funding for a comprehensive program," Mason said.
Problem solving requires a thorough identification of the problem. A statistical analysis of the actual infant mortality fluctuations, demographics, comparisons of other cities and frequency distributions would provide much information. Squandering a half million an a false assumption that government knows how to solve anything is wrong!
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