|
Ohio Commission on Minority Health Renews Commitment
To help ensure African American babies are born healthy and
reach their first of many birthdays, the Ohio Commission on
Minority Health is investing $288,800 for Lucas County
efforts of the Northwest Ohio Pathways HUB. The care
coordination system is organized by the Hospital Council of
Northwest Ohio.
From 2017 to 2018, Lucas County’s infant mortality rate
among African Americans was 15.2 per 1,000 births, nearly
three times higher than the county’s rate of 5.7 per 1,000
white births, according to Ohio Department of Health
statistics. There were 47 deaths of African American babies
younger than 1, 42 deaths of white babies, and three deaths
of babies of other races for an overall Lucas County infant
mortality rate of 8.5 per 1,000 births from 2017 to 2018,
according to the statistics.
The Ohio Commission on Minority Health grant provides the
Northwest Ohio Pathways HUB with support for training,
evaluation, outreach services and project management. Key to
the community-wide system are community health workers
employed at 11 care coordination agencies, who help connect
women to needed medical and social services.
“This funding from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health is
absolutely vital to our community’s efforts to prevent
African American babies from dying at nearly three times the
rate of white babies,” said Jan Ruma, Director of the
Northwest Ohio Pathways HUB and Vice President of the
Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio. “Our system’s community
health workers are making in difference in Lucas County.”
Community health workers working through the Northwest Ohio
Pathways HUB serve women at highest risk for having low
birth weight and preterm births, which are leading causes of
infant mortality. From 2017 to 2018, the infant mortality
among the system’s African American clients was 8.7 per
1,000 births, which was significantly lower than the Lucas
County rate of 15.2 per 1,000 African American births,
statistics show.
The Northwest Ohio Pathways HUB has received funding from
the Ohio Commission on Minority Health to combat infant
mortality since 2016, and other funders include the Ohio
Department of Medicaid, Medicaid managed care plans and the
Ohio Department of Health. Care coordination agencies
employing the system’s community health workers are Adelante,
Baby University, Compassion Health Toledo, East Toledo
Family Center, La Posada Family Emergency Shelter, Mercy
Health, Neighborhood Health Association, ProMedica Toledo
Hospital, Toledo/Lucas County CareNet, University Church and
YWCA of Northwest Ohio.
About the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio
The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio (HCNO) is a regional
hospital association that represents and advocates on behalf
of its members while providing collaborative opportunities
to improve community health. HCNO coordinates several
community health initiatives, including the Northwest Ohio
Pathways HUB and the Healthy Lucas County coalition. For
more information, please visit hcno.org.
|
