Extreme Prematurity
Prematurity has been the county’s lead contributor to infant mortality for 20+ years. We’re gathering data to guide solutions to eliminate deaths due to extreme prematurity.
Addressing Extreme PrematurityReducing Racial Disparities
Addressing Extreme Prematurity
Eliminating Sleep-Related Deaths
Our Leadership
More Information
In 2020, Black babies made up 38 percent of births in Cuyahoga County and 73 percent of infant deaths.
Reducing these racial inequities is a primary focus of our work at First Year Cleveland (FYC). We are supporting interventions that look at the role structural and institutional racism plays in maternal health and infant deaths, as well as expanding the CenteringPregnancy® model; increasing home visiting, perinatal and birth doula services, fatherhood and faith-based services; exploring the parents’ environment, access to safe and affordable housing and transportation, nutritional deficiencies and long-term stress associated with being a person of color living in a society that still bears evidence of more than 400 years of prejudice and inequities.
Our goal is to execute solutions to reduce all infant deaths and have no racial inequities in infant deaths by the end of 2025.
(The infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of babies under one year of age. This rate is often used as an indicator to measure the health and well-being of a community, because factors affecting the health of a population can also impact the mortality rate of infants. The infant mortality inequity ratio is the ratio of the Black infant mortality rate compared to the white infant mortality rate. For example, a value of 4.0 means that Black babies are dying at four times the rate of white babies.)
Reducing racial disparities requires coordinated efforts from First Year Cleveland and its 500+ community partners. Our ongoing work and data collected from our action teams is being used to:
We are also working to create awareness of the issues surrounding infant deaths in Cuyahoga County and provide important support to families through education and training. We do this through a variety of efforts including:
Look closely at systems, policies and practices and change those that favor whites over blacks and other races. Learn more about structural racism and what you can do to help reduce its prevalence.
Structural RacismRecognize that maternal stress affects unborn babies, adversely affecting their health, especially in black women.
Racial & Maternal StressPrematurity has been the county’s lead contributor to infant mortality for 20+ years. We’re gathering data to guide solutions to eliminate deaths due to extreme prematurity.
Addressing Extreme PrematuritySleep-related deaths are the second-leading cause of infant deaths in the county. We’re promoting “safe sleep” in our training and public messaging.
Eliminating Sleep-Related Deaths1 of 22