State reps make appeals for infant, maternal health

Ohio is among the worst for infant mortality rates, particularly for Black children, which led to Ohio State Representatives Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) pressing other state legislators to act on initiatives for infant and maternal health as part of the Strong Foundations Act.

“This bill is all about helping our babies and our mothers, because in Ohio, we have one of the worst rates in the nation for both infant mortality and maternal mortality,” White said of House Bill 7. “This is about sharply focusing on health, developmental and learning outcomes, and building supports for infants, toddlers, and new mothers so that they have the resources they need to thrive and hit the ground in a positive, beautiful way.”

Black infants are 2.7 times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants, according to 2020 statistics from the Ohio Department of Health. In 2020, 864 babies died before their first birthday in Ohio. In 2020, the infant mortality rate fell to 6.7 from 6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019 for all races. The rate among Black infants fell to 13.6 in 2020 from 14.3 in 2019. 

“We’re losing too many lives,” White said.

Ohio ranks 41st in infant mortality and 32nd in infant maltreatment, said Lynanne Gutierrez, chief operating and policy officer of Groundwork Ohio, a public policy organization. Half of Ohio infants and toddlers also live in poverty, she said.

“We also know there are more young children experiencing maltreatment in this state. That’s child abuse and neglect before the age of one,” White said.

In 2022, over 2,000 infants entered foster care, White said. Additionally, more newborns get sent to the neonatal intensive care unit in Ohio hospitals, Humphrey said. Ohio mothers also experience higher rates of maternal death and rates of postpartum depression.

“These are not issues that can be addressed simply,” Humphrey said.

House Bill 7 contains new operating appropriations of about $39 million for fiscal year 2024 and about $24 million for fiscal year 2025, according to the fiscal notes of the bill. The bill is pending in the Ohio House Families and Aging Committee.

The bill includes expanded access to doulas, including establishing a program in the Department of Medicaid to cover services provided by a certified doula with a Medicaid provider agreement.

“Doula support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum reduces the rates of Cesarean deliveries, prematurity, illnesses in newborns, and the likelihood of postpartum depression,” said Angela Dawson, executive director of Ohio Commission on Minority Health.

“Cost analyses continue to find that doula care has reduced overall spending by avoiding unnecessary medical procedures, reducing neonatal ICU admissions, and fostering healthy processes such as breast feeding.”

The bill also includes expanded access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) enrollment and benefit distribution processes.

About 45% of the mothers and young children who could access WIC do not, White said.

Infants born premature, or before 38 weeks of gestational age, would be eligible for Early Intervention Part C services without any other required conditions. The bill would appropriate $2 million in fiscal years 2024 and 2025 for those expanded services.

Additional housing initiatives, transportation supports, pregnancy services, child care programs, and resiliency grants are part of the bill. The bill would appropriate $15 million in fiscal year 2024 to support stable housing initiatives for pregnant mothers in an effort to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

Additionally, the bill also includes the continuous enrollment for Medicaid-eligible children from birth through age three.

“If we invest now, we will save later,” Gutierrez said. “The Strong Foundations Act is a thoughtful, multi-pronged approach.”