Infant Mortality Program, Highland Park, Michigan

The infant mortality rate in Detroit is a startling 14.9 per 1,000 live births, which is twice the national average and comparable to rates in some developing countries. Even more troubling, it is double among African Americans, compared with Caucasians, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Children's Village, Yakima, Washington

Diane Patterson, Director of the Children's Village in Yakima, Washington, fondly recalls a young boy with special needs who once was a client at the Village, and who now - as a young man - is an opera singer, performing regularly on stage for fans who come to hear his voice.

Senior Clinic, Battle Creek, Michigan

The Senior Clinic in Battle Creek, Michigan, started as a pilot project designed to test the ability to improve the health metrics of targeted low-income seniors through increased access to medical professionals and information. Through the program, residents at a low-income senior housing complex are provided access to weekly nursing visits, physical and social assessments, and referrals as necessary. The program also includes a quarterly health fair and enrollment in applicable programs.

Healthy Beginnings, Kansas City, Missouri

Healthy Beginnings was established to serve socially at-risk women during their pregnancies to help them adopt healthy lifestyles, thereby improving outcomes in terms of infant mortality and birth weight. Each year the program reaches approximately 150 women in the Kansas City area who are in need of support services due to a variety of circumstances, such as mental impairment, loss of a job or insurance, domestic violence, or lack of social or familial support.

LEAP "Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention," Lima, Ohio

The primary goal of LEAP is to address the health education needs of low-income residents in the Lima, Ohio area who have diabetes. The program aims to prevent life-threatening complications of diabetes. The "neighborhood nurses" who provide the services target at-risk areas, such as low-income underserved African American neighborhoods. Since the program's inception, more than 560 patients have participated, and only one leg amputation - as a result of surgical complications - has occurred. One patient who had two toes amputated likely would have required full leg amputation if not for LEAP services.