The State Perinatal Program identifies and recommends strategies that will effectively decrease infant morbidity and mortality.  The program encourages cooperative relationships among healthcare providers and institutions to ensure medically effective and cost efficient perinatal care and to raise awareness regarding infant morbidity and mortality.  In an effort to confront the state’s high infant mortality rate, a group of physicians, other health providers, and interested citizens came together and became the impetus behind the passage of the Alabama Perinatal Health Act in 1980.  This statute established the State Perinatal Program and the mechanism for its operation under the direction of the State Board of Health. The State Perinatal Program is based on a concept of regionalization of care, a systems approach in which program components in a geographic area are defined and coordinated to ensure that pregnant women and their infants have access to appropriate care.  The state’s regional perinatal health care system is composed of five regions.  Availability of neonatal intensive care (NICU) directs the organization of the regionalized care system.  State Perinatal Regions and Designated Centers The program is divided into five regions, each with a designated facility and director. Region 1 - Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville Region 2 - Druid City Hospital Regional Medical Center, Tuscaloosa Region 3 - University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham Region 4 - University of South Alabama, Mobile Region 5 - Baptist Medical Center, Montgomery  These centers serve as the central perinatal centers for the populations within the designated geographical areas.  The State Perinatal Advisory Council (SPAC) was formed to advise the State Health Officer in the planning, organization, and evaluation of the Perinatal Program.  SPAC was established in 1980 by the passage of the Alabama Perinatal Health Act (22-12A-4). Each perinatal region has a Regional Perinatal Advisory Council (RPAC).  The purpose of an RPAC is to provide advice and information to SPAC and the State Health Officer on regional concerns about perinatal issues.