New statistics show Ohio ranks among the worst when it comes to newborn deaths. As Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports, legislators say there’s a program that could help. but it needs start-up money from the state.
Ohio leaders are trying to fix what they say is an alarming crisis – an infant mortality rate that’s among the highest in the country.
A group of state senators is sponsoring a bill that would put $1 million towards funding a pilot program that they believe will improve the health of expecting mothers and their newborns.
The Centering Pregnancy model would be used at community health centers around the state. As Dr. Pat Gabbe of Nationwide Children’s Hospital explains, the model is similar to a support group that helps women to take their health into their own hands.
“It’s an empowering way to help women in a group to check their own blood pressure, check their own weight, know their numbers, know what it means to be anemic, know what it means not to have support.”
Advocates say they need investment from the state because these centers don’t have the money to start these programs on their own.
Ohio thinks centering on women could cut infant mortality
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