The Baby 1st Network will continue to conduct community health forums throughout the state of Ohio in conjunction with partners who have a vested interest in improving the birth outcomes for all Ohio residents. These forums will be conducted in areas where the disparity of infant mortality among African Americans is the highest. This collaborative will strive to inform the community on the disparate statistics and the impact infant mortality has on the nation, state and their community has a whole.
Baby 1st Network operates on the premise that in order for a person to effect changes; they must first be informed there is something that needs to be changed. Considering Ohio’s overall infant mortality rate, we concur that a change needs to take place.
Our goal is to increase the awareness of the impact infant mortality is having on Ohio’s African American population by providing an opportunity to engage participants from their local communities. A dialogue will be encouraged among non-traditional leadership around this issue in an effort to empower a community to save the lives of their babies.
Our objectives are to:
- Document community based and community engaged approaches to planning and implementing Community Health Forums focusing on Black infant mortality
- Record feedback from minority communities in Ohio regarding Black infant mortality.
- Highlight the importance of state, regional and community partnerships to execute successful community-based health forums.
Please email Dr. Stacy Scott for additional information and keep a close watch to our calendar of events for upcoming trainings.