Nearly 1,0000 infants die each year in Ohio before they reach their first birthday, and the Clark County Combined Health District (CCCHD) is collaborating with community members and organizations including healthcare, social work, outreach, and advocacy groups to increase education and awareness around the issue of infant vitality.
In 2020, 864 infants died statewide prior to reaching one-year-of-age. That figure averages out to seven out of every 1,000 babies and is the equivalent of more than two graduating classes of Springfield High School students per year that die before their first birthday.
To enhance community connectivity and broaden awareness around this issue, Clark County has developed an infant vitality coalition – Start Strong Clark County. The group’s stated goal is that “every infant born in Clark County is healthy at birth and thriving at one year.”
To help further that goal, an online resource has been created at startstrongcc.org that includes comprehensive lists of local resources relating to health before, during and after pregnancy. This website features conversion to Haitian Creole or Spanish language with one easy click.
AnnMarie Schmersal, Infant Vitality Coordinator, details those online resources and discusses infant vitality in detail beginning at 4 p.m. today, Friday, Jan. 27, during CCCHD’s Weekly Public Health Update broadcast on Facebook Live.
Key areas of focus for the coalition include health equity, fatherhood engagement, preconception and first-trimester health, breastfeeding, and infant safe sleep.
Non-Hispanic Black infants are nearly three times more likely to die than non-Hispanic white infants. This disparity is not fully explained by differences in maternal health factors and is also caused by the conditions within communities that may restrict access to needed resources or opportunities and create increased risks that limit optimal wellness.
Generations of systemic oppression have led to inequitable quality of, and access to, healthcare and education; a lack of economic stability; and at times, toxic neighborhoods and built environments. Some marginalized groups may not be aware of and/ or support health promotion behaviors such as smoking cessation and breastfeeding promotion, according to a 2022 Ohio Department of Health task force, Eliminating Disparities in Infant Mortality.
“To pursue equity in maternal and child health, it is essential to consider the unique circumstances of each pregnant and parenting family and consider the community in which they live, work, and play,” Schmersal said. “We must deploy strategies that address both the clinical and social factors that affect maternal and child health and well-being.”
Health equity exists when all people can attain their full health potential and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential based on the color of their skin, ancestry, level of education, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, the job they have, the neighborhood in which they live, socioeconomic status, or whether they have a disability.
Too often, community, economic, health, and social services work independently, which makes it difficult for families and referring providers to know about, access, and benefit from the resources and opportunities those services provide.
Start Strong Clark County, and its online resource, startstrongcc.org seeks to bridge those informational divides.
To pursue equity in maternal and child health, it is essential to consider the unique circumstances of each pregnant and parenting family and consider the community in which they live, work, and play. We must deploy strategies that address both the clinical and social factors that affect maternal and child health and well-being.