COLUMBUS – Each of the 136 children who died in Franklin County before reaching their first birthday last year represents a loss beyond measure to the family of that child but it is a hopeful sign to those working to reduce infant mortality in central Ohio that they may be witnessing a turning point in the fight.
There were 19 fewer infant deaths in the county in 2018 than the year before, a 12 percent decline, dropping the infant mortality rate to 7.5 deaths per 1,000 births, according to preliminary data released Thursday by CelebrateOne, a public-private effort to reduce infant mortality in Franklin County, and Columbus Public Health.
“While we still have a lot of work to do, we are cautiously optimistic about the overall decrease in infant deaths last year. Our resolve and commitment to reducing infant mortality is strong and steadfast, and we will continue to push forward on what is working [and] revise what we need to in order to continue moving the needle,” said Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts.
There were 18,240 babies born in Franklin County in 2018.
The data indicates there is still a gap between the infant mortality rate among whites and among blacks. The infant mortality rate 12.3 per 1,000 among African-American babies is 2.5 times higher than for whites.
One cause of concern for health officials was the number of sleep-related deaths: 29 infant deaths in 2018 were sleep-related.
This year, CelebrateOne plans to expand its program of home visits, which offer counseling to women and their families from pregnancy through a child’s first year, and push for more access to prenatal health care.