Children's Hospital will use a five-year, $3.5 million grant in its bid to reduce Cincinnati's high infant mortality rate.
The money is part of a Health Start grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It will be used to create a neighborhood-based team that will find women in need of medical services and then connect them to those services. Follow up care with home visits and social service agencies will also be included.
Cincinnati and Hamilton County have been focusing on reducing the rate at which babies die before their first birthdays. The hospital's program is part of the Cradle Cincinnati initiative.
In a release, Jim Greenberg, MD, co-director of the Perinatal Institute at Cincinnati Children’s says, "We plan to serve at least 500 women a year who live in Price Hill, North and South Fairmount and the Villages of Roll Hill. This funding will support better health for mothers and their infants by providing neighborhood-based care coordination and expertise for women who live in these high-risk communities.”
Statistics
Between 2009 and 2013, the infant mortality rate in Hamilton County was 9.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to a national rate of 6.1. The four zip codes where this work will focus (45204, 45205, 45214, 45225) had a combined 2009-2013 infant mortality rate of 15.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. “The reasons for these poor outcomes are complex, but we know that a variety of social factors related to poverty play key roles,” says Dr. Greenberg. “We believe a neighborhood resource team can increase the effectiveness of current investments in maternal and child health.” Source: Cincinnati Children's Hospital
