Cradle Indy coalition aims to lower infant mortality rate in Indianapolis

Indiana and Marion County public health officials have struggled for years to bring down the infant mortality rate, perennially higher than that of the nation’s average.

At one point, Marion County’s infant mortality rate was among the highest in the nation. That’s not the case today but the numbers remain troubling.

A new coalition aims to bring together community partners to work to decrease infant deaths in Indianapolis. Cradle Indy, which is based on a similar program started in Cincinnati in 2012, had its official kickoff Thursday.

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The Problem: Marion County did see its infant mortality rate decrease 10% from 2020 to 2021 to 8 children for every 1,000 live births who die before their first birthday. However, that’s still higher than the national rate of 5.4 and the state rate of 6.6.

In addition, racial, ethnic, and age-related disparities persist. The rate for white, non-Hispanic babies is almost the national average at 5.9. The rate for Black non-Hispanic babies is nearly double that at 11.4, while the rate for Hispanic babies is 7.1.

And although Marion County saw its overall infant mortality decrease from 2020 to 2021, in that same time period the Hispanic rate increased more than 50%, according to Dr. Virginia A. Caine, director of the Marion County Public Health Department.

The infant mortality rate was over 10 for mothers younger than age 24. After that cutoff, the rates plummet.

Geography can also play a role. Marion County has 14 zip codes that saw more than 10 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021.

The Challenge: Numerous factors play into the disparities in infant mortality rates, experts say.

One way to improve infants’ health lies in ensuring mothers receive adequate prenatal care. The goal, Caine said, is to have 80% of pregnant people seen in their first trimester of pregnancy.

In Marion County, however, 64% of pregnant people see a provider before their second trimester. While about 78% of white pregnant people hit this threshold only 60% of Black mothers and 50% of Hispanic mothers do, Caine said.

The solution: There’s no one easy fix but Cradle Indy leader Terri Lee said she hopes that by bringing various organizations together into a coalition, solutions will arise. Those solutions could include improving education for pregnant people as well as housing, food and other social determinants of health.

Community maternal and child health advocate Destiny Faceson said transparency, trust and respect are the keys to bringing about change.

“I just want to stress the fact that when it comes to respect, respect that we are also experts,” she said. “We are experts in our lived experience. We're not just numbers.”

Cradle Indy was started with about $1 million in seed money from federal funds and the IU Health Foundation, along with other philanthropic donations, said Jami Marsh vice president of philanthropy for the IU Health Foundation.

Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at shari.rudavsky@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Marion County's high infant mortality rate focus of Cradle Indy