Cradle Cincinnati Announces New Five-Year Plan to Reduce Infant Mortality

Black infant mortality rates continue to be far greater than other racial and ethnic groups, both locally and nationally. On June 28, Cradle Cincinnati released its new five-year strategic plan to reduce Black infant mortality in Hamilton County, Ohio with a launch event at Memorial Hall. 

“Ten years ago, Hamilton County had the second highest infant mortality rate in the nation for counties its size,” said Dr. Meredith Shockley-Smith, Cradle Cincinnati Executive Director. “Since then, our community has made incredible progress in reducing infant deaths, but that progress hasn’t been felt by the Black community.” 

Hamilton County is making strides in addressing the root causes of racial disparity in maternal and infant health through initiatives such as implicit bias training in healthcare settings. However, Black babies were still three times more likely to die than white babies in Hamilton County in 2022, regardless of their parents’ socio-economic status or health behaviors.

“Local data shows that Black families are disproportionately impacted by infant loss,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kelly, Cradle Cincinnati Maternal Health Lead. “Cradle Cincinnati’s network of partners recognize that Black infants need our attention, so that they have the same chance to thrive as their peers.”

Cradle Cincinnati was formed in 2013 with the idea that no single organization or program alone could address such a complex issue like infant mortality. Through extensive community-wide partnership, Hamilton County achieved its lowest infant mortality rate on record in 2021. However, infant deaths increased in 2022, underscoring the need for continued focus and partnership.

Over the past year, Cradle Cincinnati worked with Black families and community partners to identify and develop solutions to better support Black birthing people and improve birth outcomes. The five-year plan consists of the following goals:

GOAL 1: Create a community-based ecosystem of support for Black birthing people.

A strong network of support has the potential to mitigate stress, a known risk factor of extreme preterm birth. Increased access to doula services, mental health therapy and postpartum support groups can also help alleviate maternal stress.

GOAL 2: Support Black birthing people across all stages of pregnancy and parenthood by meeting their basic needs.

Many families in Hamilton County struggle with basic needs, like stable housing, reliable transportation and access to affordable childcare – and face a complex set of barriers that prevent them from accessing available community resources. With support from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Ohio Department of Medicaid, all prenatal care offices serving low-income families now have access to community health workers who help connect patients to resources they need.

GOAL 3: Expand the medical system’s capacity to center the needs of Black birthing people.

Black birthing people continue to report feeling unseen and unheard in medical spaces. Mama Certified, a certification program set to launch early next year, will provide Black families with a meaningful way to assess and compare the maternal-related efforts of local birthing hospitals as well as encourage and support hospitals’ increased efforts to ensure Black parents-to-be and their babies receive respect and care.

The full plan is available to read here.