Regional health insurer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is making available $1 million in grant funding for programs aimed at improving maternal and child health care in Northern Virginia.

CareFirst has issued a request for proposals from organizations serving CareFirst’s Northern Virginia service area: the cities of Alexandria and Fairfax, the town of Vienna, Arlington County and the areas of Fairfax and Prince William Counties east of Route 123.  Grants are available for one or more programs that show promise to significantly improve maternal and infant health in the region.

The insurer, with 3.4 million individual and group clients in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia, said it is making the funds available through a its efforts to address health care disparities throughout the region and support Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s efforts to reduce the commonwealth’s infant mortality rate.

In Virginia, 839 babies died before age 1, according to state records. In 2008, Virginia’s infant mortality rate was 6.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, about average among all states nationwide.

Kaine said the state has made “incredible strides” in reducing infant mortality rate, “but there’s more work to be done.”

“By making private resources available, CareFirst is setting a wonderful example for other corporate leaders and helping build on the progress made by publicly-funded initiatives in communities across the Commonwealth,” Kaine said in a statement.

CareFirst will accept grant proposals aimed at improving maternal and infant health through three key stages, including pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy and post-pregnancy.

“Infant mortality rates are a key indicator of a community’s overall health,” said Chet Burrell, CareFirst president and CEO, in a statement.  “Reversing the trend of infant mortality in Northern Virginia will take system-wide efforts to eliminate the social and economic barriers that can hinder a mother’s access to care.”

Grant proposals must be submitted to the Owings Mills, Md.-based insurer by Sept. 18. CareFirst estimates that grant determinations will be made before the end of the year.