“…Low Apgar scores are associated with increased neonatal morbidity and mortality in preterm newborns, 6 increased mortality in VLBW infants, 7 increased neonatal mortality among preterm and term infants 5,7 and need for neonatal resuscitation. 8,9 STUDY DESIGN A retrospective two-time-period cohort design was used: births before the introduction of NRP, 1985NRP, -1988; and births after the introduction of NRP, 1991-1995, in Illinois. The transition training interval, 1989-1990, was excluded from analysis.…”