Member Organizations The Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality is a diverse group of public health officials, In Ohio, African American women with Akron Children’s Hospital policy makers, researchers, health advocates, health five or more years of college are more Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and care providers, and other stakeholders. Its mission is likely to have a premature delivery than Neonatal Nurses to prevent infant mortality and improve the health of poor Caucasian women with only a high- Athens County Children Services women of childbearing age and infants throughout school education or less. Ohio by: Buckeye Community Health Plan
CareSource Promoting effective health care for all women Caring for 2 Columbus Coordinated Health Care: This emerged as a before and during their childbearing years; Children’s Medical Center of Dayton major theme of the task force report, which recog- Employing evidence-based approaches to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center nized that complete and coordinated health care reduction of infant mortality, and throughout a woman’s and child’s life is essential to Cleveland Department of Public Health Educating Ohioans about having and raising prevent infant mortality. Columbus Neighborhood Health Center healthy babies. Columbus Public Health Disparities and Racism: The report identified Community Health Partners Hospital, Lorain The collaborative was formed as the successor to the disparities (differences) in infant mortality among Council on Healthy Mothers and Babies Ohio Infant Mortality Task Force, which issued different population groups and their underlying Cuyahoga County Board of Health a report in late 2009. This report, which provided a causes, including racism, as a major component of Euro OB/GYN, Inc., Canton detailed update on infant mortality and disparities in Ohio’s infant mortality challenge. Every Child Succeeds Ohio, outlined current prevention efforts, listed 10 Hamilton County Help Me Grow recommendations along with rationale and strategies Data/Metrics/Quality Improvement: The task Healthy Beginnings, Inc. to address Ohio’s lack of progress in reducing infant force reported that evidence-based practice and Holmes County Department of Health mortality and birth-outcome disparities. These rec- data must be used to drive decisions and actions Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio ommendations, listed on the reverse side, provide the that will effectively address infant mortality and March of Dimes, Ohio Chapter starting point for the collaborative, which is organized disparities.
Mercy College, Toledo into five topic-focused workgroups. Education/Outreach: The report described the Mercy St. Vincent Family Care Center, Toledo need for public education about infant mortality, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland ways to decrease it, and advocated for investment Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton THE COST OF BABIES BORN in culturally competent social marketing strategies Molina Health Care of Ohio TOO SOON / TOO SMALL to produce better birth outcomes.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus Nurse-Family Partnership Prematurity, also called preterm Public Policy: Local, regional, and statewide poli- Ohio Association of Health Plans birth, is the #1 killer of newborns cies are major determinants of how Ohio brings its Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics and a leading cause of death in the resources to bear in addressing infant mortality and first year. disparities. Ohio Commission on Fatherhood Prematurity is major risk factor for
Ohio Department of Alcohol & Drug Addiction Services illness and disability. An executive/steering committee guides and Ohio Department of Health Prematurity Costs Ohio $1 billion a Ohio Department of Job and Family Services year. oversees the activities of the workgroups and repre- sents the collaborative to the public. The Ohio De- Ohio Department of Mental Health Direct health care costs to employ- partment of Health provides support for the collabo- Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative ers for premature babies during the first year of life average $46,004. rative and is represented on all workgroups and the Ohio Section, American Congress of Obstetricians executive/steering committee. The collaborative and Gynecologists can be contacted at [email protected]. The Ohio State University Medical Center Premature Infant Health Network of Ohio Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital Sandusky County Health Department Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Summa Health System Akron, Ohio Toledo Hospital TriHealth, Cincinnati Union Institute and University, Cincinnati UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio University Hospital, Cincinnati University Hospitals McDonald Women’s Hospital, Cleveland Voices for Ohio’s Children Women and Infant Vitality Network of Hamilton County Wright State University Youngstown Office on Minority Health RECOMMENDATIONS TO PREVENT INFANT MORTALITY
The infant mortality (death) rate: an Recommendation V: Improve data col- OHIO FACTS important measure of how well we care for lection and analysis to inform program our women and children and the overall and policy decisions. 1,068 Ohio infants died in health of our society. This rate is calculat- 2010. ed as the number of live-born infants per Recommendation VI: Expand quality Ohio’s infant mortality (IM) thousand who die within their first year of improvement initiatives to make measura- rate exceeds both the nation- life. The United States has one of the ble improvements in maternal and child al rate of 6.14 per 1,000 live highest rates among developed nations, health outcomes. births and the Healthy People and Ohio’s infant mortality rate exceeds 2010 (national public heath that of the nation. Recommendation VII: Address the ef- goal) of 4.5. fects of and the impact of racism on infant Disparities (differences) be- Recommendation I: Provide comprehen- mortality. tween whites and African sive reproductive health services and ser- Americans are growing: the vice coordination for all women and chil- Recommendation VIII: Increase public 2010 IM rate for whites is 6.4 dren before, during and after pregnancy. awareness on the effect of preconception and for African Americans it health on birth outcomes. is 15.5. Recommendation II: Eliminate health Ohio’s overall IM rate of 7.7 disparities and promote health equity to Recommendation IX: Develop, recruit has not substantially reduce infant mortality. and train a diverse network of culturally changed in more than a dec- competent health professionals statewide. ade. Recommendation III: Prioritize and align The Medicaid program, serv- program investments based on document- Recommendation X: Establish a consor- ing our lowest-income citi- ed outcome and cost effectiveness. tium to implement and monitor the recom- zens, pays for 40% of Ohio’s mendations of the Ohio Infant Mortality births and bears a heavy cost Recommendation IV: Implement health Task Force (OIMTF). burden of poor birth out- promotion and education to reduce pre- comes. term birth.
CALL TO ACTION: IF YOU ARE AN OHIOAN
Make sure you/your partner are as healthy as possible before becoming pregnant. “Infant deaths are at the heart of
our inadequate health care sys- Encourage friends and family members who are of tem. Why should any infant die childbearing age to be as healthy as possible before be- because their mother had no coming pregnant. health insurance before she be- came pregnant, had little access Volunteer and support your local hospital, health depart- to treat anemia, depression, asth- ment, faith community or community services agencies in ma, diabetes, or hypertension, or their efforts to improve women’s health and promote bet- to safely space her last pregnan- ter birth outcomes. cy? Infant deaths are preventa- ble, if we realign our priorities and our financial incentives.” Support your friends and family members who recently had a baby by encouraging safe sleeping position and -Patricia Temple Gabbe, MD, MPH breastfeeding and helping them get to follow-up appoint- Collaborative Member ments.
March 2012