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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Addressing
Infant Mortality on World Prematurity Day
The birth of a child is a cause for celebration. For most families, a
new baby brings feelings of excitement and anticipation for the future.
Unfortunately, one in every nine babies born in the United States is
premature. For these families, the exciting new challenges of feedings
and changings may quickly be overshadowed by the emotionally taxing
challenge of navigating their children’s health complications and
uncertainty about the future. Nearly 70 percent of babies who die
before their first birthday are preemies, and for those babies who are
lucky enough to survive, premature birth often results in other lasting
consequences, such as respiratory issues or intellectual disabilities.
November 17 marked World Prematurity Day – a time to raise awareness
about the risk factors of premature birth and highlight efforts to
prevent it.
Sen. Brown speaking at Akron Children’s about combatting infant
mortality.
The leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality is premature birth.
But, like many other infant deaths, sometimes the underlying cause of
death is unclear. My legislation, the Sudden Unexpected Death Data
Enhancement and Awareness Act, would enhance our national reporting
system to better track stillbirths and sudden unexpected infant and
child deaths, allowing us to better identify risk factors to prevent
them in the future.
Ohio parents and children would especially benefit from this
legislation. For the fourth year in a row, the March of Dimes – a
national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring healthy pregnancies and
healthy babies – assigned Ohio a “C” grade on its 2014 Premature Birth
Report Card. Ohio also has the third highest rate of infant mortality
in the nation and the highest rate of infant mortality among African
American babies. This is unacceptable. Ohio is home to some of the
world’s best physicians and health facilities; we must renew our
commitment to supporting pregnant mothers and preventing premature
birth and infant mortality.
Sen. Brown speaking at Akron Children’s about combating infant
mortality.
In August, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American
College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) wrote to the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), requesting the agency review and adopt the
professional organizations’ updated guidance on the prevention of
premature births, including universal, routine screening for premature
cervical shortening mid-pregnancy and the timely use of progesterone
treatment for patients at high risk of premature birth. I support these
organizations in their efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of
infants throughout the country, and I urge HHS to address the
guidelines put forth by SMFM, ACOG, and ACNM as part of its efforts to
reduce infant mortality.
Mitigating premature birth risk factors and utilizing the data
collected by the Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness
Act are important steps in addressing Ohio’s premature birth rate of
12.1 percent. By coordinating efforts at all levels – local, state, and
federal – we can help to ensure that every babies born in Ohio has the
opportunity to lead a full and healthy life.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator
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