Cleveland averages approximately 13 infant deaths per 1,000 live births every year— more than twice the national average. In Cuyahoga County alone, 133 babies died in 2013 before even reaching their first birthday. Cleveland exhibits a high racial disparity when it comes to infant mortality. Black babies are more than twice as likely to die before reaching year one as white babies, a gap that only continues to widen.
Despite being home to some of the greatest health-care institutions in the world, Ohio ranks among the worst five states in the nation for infant mortality.
To address this issue, Advocates for Cleveland Health will host a panel discussion featuring:
- Bernadette Kerrigan, executive director of First Year Cleveland;
- Christin Farmer, executive director of Birthing Beautiful Communities; and
- John Moore, head of neonatology at MetroHealth.
- Brie Zeltner from the Cleveland Plain Dealer
