There have long been disparities in health outcomes between Ohioans of color and white Ohioans, with yearly widening gaps in infant mortality rates, average life expectancy rates, maternal mortality rates and more. Minority health in Ohio has long suffered from poor social determinants of health due to policy and system inequities. The COVID-19 pandemic is...
Nearly all pregnant women have had alterations of their experiences because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Since mid-March, much of the country has been confined to strict rules and guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus which include social distancing, mask requirements and telehealth visits with medical professionals. In short, COVID-19 has changed...
Late last year, The Center for Community Solutions released fact sheets on the Status of Women for each of Ohio’s 88 counties that include a cross section of indicators about women including health, economic, civic and education levels. Modeled after a national report on the Status of Women, by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, in which...
For the past several years, The Center for Community Solutions has been committed to examining and improving maternal and infant health for families in our state. By analyzing disaggregated maternal mortality data, infant mortality reports and other critical statistics such as birth records, we’ve developed policy solutions to help combat an escalating maternal and infant...
For pregnant women and those who have recently given birth, the coronavirus pandemic coupled with the realities of social distancing present a lot of unforeseen challenges, concerns and ambiguity in terms of pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. Being pregnant during a pandemic may mean more than just having to cancel your baby shower and your reoccurring...
In mid-November, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) released a long-awaited comprehensive report on maternal mortality in Ohio. The report shows that there were 610 pregnancy-associated deaths, of which 186 were pregnancy-related, in Ohio between 2008 and 2016. The report finds that Black women were two and half times more likely to die of a...
By: Tara Britton, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy Hope Lane, Public Policy & External Affairs Associate Ohio was recently notified that it will receive two new federal grants to address maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the state. These grants come from two separate agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
Last week, First Year Cleveland through their Pregnancy And Infant Loss Initiative (PAIL), debuted a short film that tells the story of infant loss from a black women’s perspective. As the film website explains, the film invites the viewer to “Follow Nina in this day-in-the-life drama, and see the world through the eyes of a...
As the state responds to the high infant mortality rate, national reports have increasingly called attention to maternal deaths related to pregnancy, as well as severe maternal morbidity. The executive budget included language supporting the pregnancy associated mortality review process (PAMR) in Ohio, including a representative committee. The Center for Community Solutions began to explore...
