Maternal & Infant Vitality
Why Is This Important?
Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday and an area's infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of these deaths per 1,000 live births. Examination of a population's IMR can provide key insights into their maternal and infant health. What's more is that, IMR is often viewed as a proxy measure for a population's overall health and well being because it is strongly associated with social, economic, and environmental conditions. By focusing on creating a strong and healthy foundation for all babies, this not only reduces infant mortality, it improves the health of current and future generations across the lifespan. This is because many of the prevention efforts to reduce the IMR often address a lot of the same social, behavioral, and health risk factors that impact a population's overall health; not to mention, focusing on a baby's foundation allows them to begin their life from a more equitable starting point.
Strategies and Leads
| Strategies | Leads |
| Emphasize the importance of safe sleep practices through education and the distribution of safety equipment specifically in high-risk communities. | EORO (Safe-sleep Branch) |
| Link families with community and healthcare resources to address their specific needs, ensuring to address gaps related to Social Determinants of Health. | EORO (Prevention, Community Engagement, SDOH branch), ODM grant recipients, OEI |
| Support and promote breastfeeding in hospitals and the community by encouraging healthcare providers to educate expecting mothers about breastfeeding and increasing access to community breastfeeding support. | EORO (Breastfeeding Branch) |
| Work with employers to create or enhance policies that support breastfeeding in the workplace by providing a place and a reasonable break time to express breast milk. | EORO (Breastfeeding Branch) |
| Facilitate community interactions to alleviate stress related to pregnancy and parenting by nurturing a sense of community and positive family relationships through the expansion of peer support groups in priority populations and service areas. | EORO (Community Engagement), Every Parent Matters |
| Encourage a healthy preconception lifestyle and adequate prenatal care through education and advocacy to reduce maternal risk factors and improve birth outcomes. | EORO (Prevention Branch), PHDMC |
Partners
2022-2024 Ohio Medicaid Grant Recipients:
- PHDMC
- Help Me Grow
- Catholic Social Services
- GDAHA Pathways HUB
- Miami Valley Organizing Collaborative
- Omega CDC
- Wesley Dayton
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