Infant mortality rates in Ohio, Mahoning Valley among highest in US

TheNewsOutlet.org

Morgan Porada of Struthers lost her son Christian 17 days after he and his twin brother, Tanner, were born.

“I have lost grandparents. I’ve lost pets. I’ve had friends die, and nothing could ever come close to losing your kid. Nothing will ever compare, and it doesn’t go away. The pain is always with you.”

Porada said.

Every day in Ohio nearly three babies die before their first birthday. The chances of that baby dying in Mahoning County are arguably greater than any other county in the state.

And if that baby is black, the possibility of death increases dramatically.

“We are 50 out of 50 for black infant mortality,” said Erin Bishop, health commissioner for Youngstown.

Health officials met in Columbus in November 2012 and again in December 2014 to shed light on the problem and develop strategies.

Eventually, Gov. John R. Kaisch got involved. “Ohio has one of the worst infant-mortality rates in the nation, and that is simply unacceptable,” Kasich said.

Read the full story, the first in a two-day series on infant mortality, Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.