“Problematic.” Early data shows infant mortality rates in northeast Ohio county
Ohio leaders in healthcare have been working to reduce the number of infant deaths.
There’s a statewide goal to decrease infant mortality by six or fewer deaths per 1,000 babies born in all racial and ethnic groups by around 2028.
Northeast Ohio’s health care providers and organizations are stepping up to curb racial disparities in care for minority infants and their moms, like the Village of Healing.
The Center for Community Solutions provided data to show whether the state’s moving in the right direction and how much work needs to be done to reach the goal.
At the same time, Ohio lawmakers proposed to make funding cuts to Infant Vitality and Help Me Grow, vitality programs for babies and families.
Statistics on infant mortality for Ohio in 2023
According to 2024 preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, the state’s infant mortality rate overall is 6.5 per 1,000 live births.
The most recent statewide rate has decreased from 7.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023.
However, the situation changes when looking at each county and different minorities.
Black infants’ mortality rate in Ohio is almost three times higher that the rate for white infants, according to several reports.
Groundwork Ohio is a nonprofit that focuses on policy that impacts children.
“While other states have made significant strides in reducing infant mortality and addressing disparities in birth outcomes, progress in Ohio has stagnated,” stated the Groudwork Ohio report.
Racial disparities in infant mortality statewide
When looking at data for white babies without any Hispanic relation, the statewide rate is 5.7 infant deaths per 1,000 births.
But there are 7.2 deaths per 1,000 babies born in Ohio with Hispanic relatives.
The rate increases more to 13.7 infant deaths per 1,000 births born in the Black community who aren’t Hispanic.
Cuyahoga County and Cleveland
Cuyahoga County has the second highest number of infant deaths of any county in Ohio, especially impacting Black families in Cleveland and surrounding communities.
From 2019 to 2023, there were 521 infant deaths in Cuyahoga County.
The rates in Cuyahoga County and Cleveland compared to the rest of the state are concerning, according to The Center for Community Solutions.
The infant mortality rate for Cuyahoga County in 2023 was 8.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the county’s board of health.
The Cleveland Department of Public Health’s preliminary data for 2023 shows there were 13.6 infant deaths per 1,000 births.
Data for white children who are not Hispanic shows 5.1 infant deaths per 1,000 births.
For Cuyahoga County, non-Hispanic infant mortality among Black families increases to 15.9 deaths per 1,000 births in 2023.
In Cleveland, there are 19.3 infant deaths per 1,000 babies born for non-Hispanic Black children.
For every 1,000 births in Cuyahoga County in 2023, there were 7.2 deaths among Hispanic infants.
In Cleveland, the rate increased slightly to 7.9 deaths per 1,000 Hispanic infants.
The two leading causes of infant deaths in the region are listed as sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and prematurity.
Learn more by visiting the Center for Community Solutions website.
