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Ohio Senator Bill Beagle
Combating
Infant Mortality in Ohio
Most babies grow to live full and long lives, but infant mortality is a
tragedy that too many Ohio families face. Infant mortality, which
refers to any baby that passes away before their first birthday, is a
horror that affects more people in Ohio than many developed nations.
Currently, Ohio ranks 48th out of 50 states for the highest rate of
infant mortality. The leading causes for infant mortality are serious
birth complications including premature births or birth defects, and
infants that were victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or
other injuries. While my colleagues and I in the Ohio Senate are
working hard to find solutions, we also need to work together as a
community to increase awareness and prevent infant mortality in our
state.
In 2012, 1,045 Ohio babies died before their first birthday. Those
children would have filled 16 school buses and over 40 kindergarten
classrooms. It is hard to fathom the 1,045 lives that were cut too
short, the 1,045 boys and girls that would have contributed to our
communities and lived the Ohio dream.
The Ohio Senate is considering several bills that, if passed, would
create safe sleep educational programs, establish a commission to
gather valuable information regarding infant mortality in Ohio, begin a
program that will focus efforts to improve birth outcomes, and include
postpartum care in the Medicaid healthcare system. In addition, Ohio
now requires a more formal process for law enforcement to investigate
cases involving victims of SIDS.
In Ohio, 14% of SIDS cases, which is the third leading cause of infant
mortality, can be attributed to unsafe sleep practices. To combat this,
the Ohio Department of Health has created a statewide education
campaign to increase awareness of the ABC’s of safe sleep. As a parent
you often hear conflicting information about the safest way for your
baby to sleep; this campaign works to streamline that information and
reach parents with infants.
The ABC’s of safe sleep are that a baby should always sleep Alone, on
his or her Back and in a Crib. These simple principles can save lives.
Through these and other educational and prevention efforts, we can
celebrate more lives in Ohio.
My four years in the Ohio Senate have been focused on making Ohio a
great place to live, work and raise a family. It is clear that Ohio’s
infant mortality rate is a public health crisis and more can be done to
provide resources and education to protect our littlest ones.
More information about safe sleep practices can be found at
www.SafeSleep.Ohio.gov or you can contact my office at (614) 466-6247.
Together we can make sure more of our youngest Ohioans celebrate their
first birthdays.
Senator Bill Beagle serves the people of Ohio’s 5th Senate District,
which includes Miami and Preble Counties as well as portions of
Montgomery and Darke Counties. He presides as the Chairman of the
Senate Committee on Workforce & Economic Development. Learn more at
www.OhioSenate.gov/Beagle.
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