Preliminary data shows drop in Ohio infant mortality rate

Preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Health shows that in 2018, Ohio’s mortality rate has dropped from 7.2 to 6.9 (Source: “Preliminary data show infant mortality rate decline in Ohio,” Dayton Daily News, Sept. 28, 2019).

“This shows some progress from 2017, which is promising; however, we know that this number is far, far too high,” said Reem Aly, vice president of HPIO at the annual Their Story is our Story Infant Mortality Conference at Sinclair Community College in Dayton. “So while we’re moving in the right direction we certainly cannot stop, and there needs to be a much more aggressive intention and approach across our state.”

Since 2010, more than 8,200 Ohio babies have died before turning one. There were 982 Ohio infants who died in 2017 before their first birthday last year, down 42 from 1,024 infant deaths in 2016, according to ODH.

Black babies continue to die at a rate more than 2.5 times higher than white babies in Ohio, according to the preliminary ODH data.

The state has invested around $137 million in tackling infant mortality over the last eight years. That investment has been used to primarily target nine Ohio counties that accounted for around 66 percent of all infant deaths last year and 90 percent of black infant deaths, ODH reported.