Butler County ranks No. 9 in urban areas in Ohio in infant mortality rate, and Ohio has one of the worst rankings in the United States, said Jenny Bailer, county health commissioner.
While infant mortality has been decreasing overall in Ohio since 1990, both Butler County’s and Ohio’s rates are above the Healthy People 2020 national goal of 6.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
“In 2017, the infant mortality rate decreased for both black and white babies in Butler County. Even though this is good news, there is still work to do,” Bailer said.
MORE: New Butler County health commissioner targets infant deaths, smoking
Initiatives from Butler County groups dealing with infant mortality range from smoking cessation to CenteringPregnancy programs, and the funding from CHI will allow Primary Health Solutions to expand its programming. CenteringPregnancy is a program that helps women due at the same time work in a group setting to help their support and outcomes.
MORE: Butler County infant mortality rate shows improvement
“We have an incredible opportunity to improve lifelong health by transforming birth outcomes, early childhood and family health in the U.S. through Centering,” explained Angie Truesdale, CEO of CHI. “We are thrilled to support these committed and innovative healthcare sites that are passionate about changing healthcare and improving health outcomes in their communities.”
According to Truesdale, CenteringPregnancy provides family centered care for the first two years.
“Parents are actively involved in their child’s assessment at every visit - tracking their growth, development, immunizations and oral health,” she said. “Individual well-child health assessments, immunizations and developmental screenings follow the Bright Futures nationally recognized guidelines. An emphasis on self-care, wellness and women’s health is woven throughout.”
MORE: Middletown hospital launches program to combat infant mortality
In October 2017, CHI announced an aggressive expansion plan focusing on underserved communities with poor health outcomes.
Primary Health Solutions is one of 17 organizations representing 32 healthcare sites, helping them to receive grant funding to expand the Centering group medical visit model into communities where evidence-based group care can have the biggest impact.
UC Health in Cincinnati also received grant funding from CHI.
MORE: Butler County receives funding to combat infant mortality
WHAT IS INFANT MORTALITY?
Infant mortality is defined as the death of a baby before his or her first birthday. The infant mortality rate is the number of babies who died in the first year of life, per 1,000 live births. This rate is considered an important indicator of the overall health of a society.
Source: Ohio Department of Health
Primary Health Solutions is committed to impacting the Infant Mortality rate and family health in Butler County. We are doing this through our CenteringPregnancy program that we are pleased to be expanding to include our West location. We also are expanding the Centering model to include families with newborns to age one. This model has proven successful in improving family health. We are honored to be recipients and look forward to the collaboration with the Centering Institute.
Marc Bellisario, president and CEO, Primary Health Solutions
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