Explanation
BACKROUND:
Infant mortality rates are a globally accepted measure of a community's well-being. And, while Columbus is widely considered to be one of our nation's more prosperous, well-educated and progressive communities, we have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country. Consider:
? Every week in Franklin County, more than three families experience the death of a baby before his or her first birthday.
? Franklin County's infant mortality rate for 2013 is as high as the national rate from the early 1990s.
? The infant mortality rate for black babies is two-and-a-half times that of white babies in Franklin County.
The leading causes of infant mortality are being born prematurely, congenital anomalies, sleep-related infant deaths, and maternal complications of pregnancy. Racial disparities persist for all causes of infant death, especially those due to prematurity or sleep-related causes.
More broadly, however, we know that our infant mortality rates, and our persistent disparities, are largely affected by the differential distribution of conditions that support health - known as the social determinants of health - which include factors such as adequate income; access to healthy foods, transportation, jobs, stable housing and quality schools; strong social networks and access to health care. Families whose situations present barriers to these life-enhancing resources are at an increased risk of losing a child before his or her first birthday. We know that in our community, black families are disproportionately, and negatively, affected by high rates of poverty, unemployment, and low educational attainment.
Our City has come together to tackle this tough issue. Columbus City Council President Andrew Ginther, with the support of Mayor Michael B. Coleman and the Franklin County Commissioners, charged the Greater Columbus Infant Mortality Task Force (GCIMTF) to develop a community plan to reduce Columbus' Infant M...
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