The Sun Sentinel has begun a series that looks at Florida’s high infant mortality rate – “Born to Die.”
- Over the past decade, Escambia County has averaged one infant dying every 12 days before the baby reaches its first birthday. The racial split is nearly even: White 39% Black 49% Other 12%
The Sun Sentinel reported that a recent state report found the most common causes of infant deaths in Florida in 2022 were:
- Congenital malformations such as spina bifida and neural tube defects;
- Unintentional injuries like drowning or suffocation;
- Disorders related to preterm birth or low birthweight;
- Maternal complications of pregnancy;
- Complications of placenta, cord and membrane;
- Bacterial sepsis; and
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Why this matters: We need to focus on how to help mothers before and during pregnancy.
The Escambia Children’s Trust has allocated nearly half of its $10 million budget for after-school programs and another million to helping kids in the juvenile justice system, but nothing to pilot programs to reduce infant mortality and low birth rates.
- According to the staff’s 2024 Report Indicator Card, the infant mortality has risen to 8.3 per 1,000 birth – state rate 6.0; national rate 5.6.
- Low birth rate is 11.8% – sixth highest in the state. The state percentage is 9.1%
The Trust needs a more balanced approach to its funding.
Featured Photo by Ryan Riggins on Unsplash
Gloria, Great suggestion. We are working on a map. I will publish it soon.
I’d like to see a map where these families live and work.
Thier surrounding environment plays a huge role in the health of a community especially to the unborn and their mother’s health.
Exposure to diesel fumes by the mother impacts the health of the unborn. That toxic exposure is generational through DNA. Once poisoned always poisoned.
Living next to landfills is another toxic environment that impacts not only air quality but also the soil and water qualities.
What are the diets? Do they regularly eat fish out of the toxic waterways filled with human waste?
Bottomline the environment plays a huge role in the health of mothers and children for generations.
Data… we need mapping not just for the babies but from the families and where they live and where they once lived. Connect the dots.
Alicia, thank you for your comments. Despite “many programs focused on infant mortality throughout the State through Medicaid programs and other State funded programs and coalitions such Healthy Start, Florida Healthy Babies, FIMR, and more,” Escambia’s infant mortality rate hasn’t improved. I will have more on this in our April 4 Inweekly.
I am a supporter of Children’s Trust. I feel confident the members are or will plan initiatives to focus on infant mortality. Some of the people working there are practically experts in infant mortality facts in our county. They do need to connect the dots better for the public.
– There are many programs focused on infant mortality throughout the State through Medicaid programs and other State funded programs and coalitions such Healthy Start, Florida Healthy Babies, FIMR, and more. I agree Children’s Trust should focus on infant mortality as a major initiative, but money MAY not be what is needed. Not to be absurdly Pollyanna, but I believe what we need is a credible and shared risk assessment, goal setting, coordination and collaboration of entities and DO’ers who are already working on great initiatives, like infant mortality. Then effectively communicate all of the programs and how citizens can provide input. I think some of that is happening already.
Also, after school care and attention to juvenile justice children absolutely can positively impact infant mortality. Look at the age demographics of parents having the children who don’t survive. Lack of prenatal care, preterm birth (look up reasons for that), missing well child visits, no immunizations all play a part and in infant mortality. Drug and alcohol use, mental health, ignorance of safety measures all play a part. It’s a long initiative, but breaking cycles start with children who become teenagers and young adults who become parents. Maybe social determinants of health related initiatives could be the focus of after school and juvenile justice programs. Teaching health and safety may be helpful and, if only we could, birth control.
(Also regarding demographics, the mortality may be somewhat evenly split among race, but our county demographic is not. The white population is significantly higher, yet more black infants die. Seems that should be an important topic!)
There’s no need for a Children’s Trust if the children aren’t making it past 1 year old. :(
The City and County need to obtain the CRA tax money that they are legally sanctioned to collect from the “Trust” and work together towards real, measurable results in the CRA districts.
While I agree with people pointing out that government isn’t any shining example of how to best handle taxpayer money towards better effect, there literally could not be a worse local agency to handle this amount of money responsibly. (Well, ECUA would probably do as poorly and may find a way to do worse.) As far as I’ve seen, all but a handful of the Children’ns Trust Board members are absolutely hopeless for anything but pandering to their special interest puppet masters, and the staff just out-does themselves in embarrassing stands one after the other. “I need to know!” That statement alone exposes the entitlement of the people running this disaster. Note to executive director, since she’s apparently clueless: people are over it and you have nobody to blame but yourself and the people who orchestrated your back door pay raise before you ever hit the door. The public didn’t get to know about that ahead of time, did they? Cry me a river about your need to know.
BCC, Mayor Reeves, and City Council, PLEASE claw as much tax money back from this derelict agency as possible and start using it to help children who really need it. We’re stuck with the damn thing for as many years as we’ve had it per state statute (despite CJ’s claims to the contrary, which he has never backed by any legal explanation). So get what money you can to do something important with it. From where I sit, the City and the County should have gone after every penny they could have obtained from interest as well. Enough is enough.