FYC Action Teams

As part of First Year Cleveland’s 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, we committed to implement coordinated activities that support our three priority areas focused on reducing infant mortality throughout Cuyahoga County: 1) reducing racial disparities; 2) addressing extreme prematurity; and 3) eliminating sleep-related infant deaths.

In order to execute these activities, First Year Cleveland established Action Teams that worked to tackle these challenges. Learn more about the work of each of these teams.

Priority Area: Reducing Racial Disparities 

Goal: Reduce Cuyahoga County's 2017 infant death disparity rate of 6.7 by 50 percent by the end of 2020 and to zero by 2025.

FYC Action Team 1: Develop, launch and execute an awareness campaign and employee training campaign to address bias in the healthcare workplace that may negatively affect maternal and child health outcomes.

FYC Action Team 2: Gain a further understanding from Black families that have experienced a loss. (Pregnancy and Infant Loss [PAIL] Initiative)

FYC Action Team 3: Lead research efforts to better understand the roles race and maternal stress play in infant deaths.

(Learn more about what we're doing in this area and progress to date)

Priority Area: Addressing Extreme Prematurity

Goal: Reduce Cuyahoga County's preterm birth rate from the 2015 baseline of 14.9 percent to less than 10 percent by the end of 2020. 

FYC Action Team 4: Collect data and establish Learning Circles to identify and resolve issues contributing to extreme premature births and infant deaths.

FYC Action Team 5: Partner with Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and social service providers to identify opportunities for enhanced service delivery and engagement with MCH population. Engage Cuyahoga County families in the development and implementation of community-driven strategies to improve birth outcomes for women at highest risk for infant death. Educate and engage families to improve maternal and child health outcomes through the provision of evidence-based programs and interventions such as but not limited to CenteringPregnancy®, 17P, and reproductive health services.

FYC Action Team 6: Work with providers to increase public awareness of birth spacing guidelines, implement One Key Question, and improve access to LARC. With March of Dimes, ensure Cuyahoga County has resources to be a leader in prematurity research.

FYC Action Team 7: Increase the number of expectant mothers being served in a CenteringPregnancy Model.

FYC Action Team 8: Address social determinants impacting expectant parents by serving over 4,000 pregnant mothers annually with results-driven interventions that address housing insecurity, employment, education, nutritional needs, and early access to prenatal care and postnatal care.

(Learn more about what we're doing in this area and progress to date)

Priority Area: Eliminating Sleep-Related Deaths

Goal: Reduce sleep-related infant deaths from 27 in 2015 to less than six by the end of 2020. 

FYC Action Team 9: Model the MetroHealth employee sleep ambassador program throughout the county. Hire parents and grandparents that have experienced a sleep-related loss to drive the messaging campaign and lead training. Work in partnership with faith-based organizations.

FYC Action Team 10: Promote use of free State of Ohio Quit Line and Support Tobacco21, an effort to limit tobacco sales to persons age 21 and above.

(Learn more about what we're doing in this area and progress to date)