COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three Columbus neighborhoods have been designated as the first battlefields in a fight to reduce infant mortality in the city.
The Near South Side, Near East Side, and South Linden have been chosen as the first targets of the Celebrate One initiative to test the recommendations of a task force formed to study ways to combat the high rate of infant deaths in Franklin County.
“Columbus’ unacceptably high infant mortality rate is a public health crisis that threatens our quality of life and affronts our most deeply held values,” said Columbus City Council president Andrew Ginther, who organized the Greater Columbus Infant Mortality Task Force itask force last November.
The three neighborhoods account for about one-quarter of all infant deaths in Central Ohio and, if the pilot program shows signs of success, the recommendations will start being implemented in the other targeted areas of the city: The Hilltop, Franklinton, Northeast and Southeast Columbus, and the Northland area around Morse Road and state Route 161.
Nearly 150 babies died before reaching the age of one in 2013, with African-American infants more than twice as likely as white babies to die before their first birthday.
When he formed the task force, Ginther asked members to develop a plan to reduce central Ohio’s infant mortality rate by 40 percent and cut the rate of racial disparity in infant deaths in half.
The group found that – in addition to improving women’s access to health care – the underlying socioeconomic factors would also have to be addressed.
“Other cities have successfully reduced their infant mortality rates by developing comprehensive, neighborhood-driven strategies to address this complex issue. We can and will do the same in Columbus by focusing not only on access to healthcare, but also on issues like jobs, education, housing, and neighborhood safety,” Columbus Public Health commissioner Dr. Teresa Long said.
The task force said women, especially in poorer neighborhoods, must be provided access to better health care before they become pregnant. Standards of perinatal care for new and expecting mothers should be improved and the social and economic factors that contribute to the high infant mortality rate, and the disparity in high-risk neighborhoods, must be addressed.