The papers of the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality consist of documents, photographs, and other materials detailing the formation and work of the Commission, established and chaired by U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles (D-FL, 1971-1988). The Commission was developed to find ways to reduce the high infant mortality rates of U.S. infants in the early 1980s, especially in southern states. The bulk of the collection concerns national hearings and meetings in which various high-profile organizations and individuals met to address governmental and private roles regarding the delivery of services associated with preventing infant mortality, as well as to recommend actions designed to change and improve the nation's comprehensive approach to this problem.
