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Dr. Rodney Hill asked to provide expertise on black infant mortality
YOUNGSTOWN
Dr. Rodney E. Hill, a Youngstown obstetrician/gynecologist, is participating in the inaugural Ohio Commission on Minority Health Medical Expert Panel Series.
As a member of the panel, Dr. Hill, owner of Associates in Women’s Health of the Mahoning Valley Inc., is scheduled to meet via a weekly conference call with other invited panel members for a total of 20 hours over nine weeks beginning in April.
The panel’s goal is to influence state policy by providing solutions and recommendations that improve health equity and outcomes in Ohio, according to the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.
Specifically, Dr. Hill is asked to bring his expertise as an obstetrician/gynecologist to the topic of the high infant-mortality rate among black babies in Ohio.
“This is a great opportunity to make a difference regarding a devastating medical problem in our state. I am excited and honored to be part of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health’s efforts,” Dr. Hill said.
He said he will be able to bring to the panel his perspective from the state’s Northeast region.
Likewise, he said he is “definitely interested to see what my colleagues from around the state have to say.”
As of 2012, Ohio had the worst infant-mortality rate of any state in the nation for black babies who die before they are a year old, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
“Education from the standpoint of where does a woman go for pregnancy care definitely can play a role in improving the IMR,” said Dr. Hill, a board-certified obstetrician with specialized training in the management of pregnancy, labor and the postpartum (postnatal) period.
Women’s choices for pregnancy care are an OB/GYN, a family practitioner or a certified nurse midwife, Dr. Hill said.
All three can handle a normal pregnancy, but women with high-risk factors, such as a previous pre-term birth, hypertension, diabetes and obesity, should see an OB/GYN from the beginning, he said.
“That’s where education comes in. They need to know that a specialist is available and called for,” Dr. Hill said.
Transportation can also be an issue and result in missing medical appointments. Pregnant women need to know that Medicaid will provide transportation, he said.
Dr. Hill, who grew up in Washington, D.C., graduated from Virginia State University and Eastern Virginia Medical School and completed his OB/GYN residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington.