As a new mother, it has come to my attention that Memphis has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, with a baby dying every forty-three hours. With some locations being higher than others, it has been reported that babies in the city of Memphis are the most at risk population to die before their first birthday due to congenital malformations, premature birth and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, maternal complications during pregnancy or accidents and unintentional injuries. While the Tennessee Department of Health suggests that by modifying the behaviors, lifestyles, and conditions that affect birth outcomes such as smoking, substance abuse, poor nutrition, lack of prenatal care, medical problems and chronic illness are suppose to be the efforts of every community, health care provider, teenager, mother and grandmother; it is alarming to me that Memphis has demonstrated such a poor concern or comprehensiveness for quality health care and a resident’s health status. This negligence has not only emotional costs to families, but it is also very costly to communities. According to the March of Dimes Foundation, in 2009, studies reported that the average cost of premature and low birth-weight babies cost at least $49,000 for its first year of life. In contrast, a healthy full term newborn without complications cost relatively $4600 for its first year of life.
On a national level, Tennessee ranked 47th in infant mortality in 2009; third from the bottom of the worst places to raise a child. Programs like Healthy Start boast of their home visiting programs for first time parents; but it is not able to adequately address the accelerated growth of the teen pregnancy epidemic within the city of Memphis that has grown increasingly out of control, due to budget cuts and limited human resources.
As I collect more and more information about various programs across the state and locally I come to the conclusion that there is not a comprehensive effort in place. Instead of piecemeal programs, for SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), teen pregnancy prevention, domestic/ child abuse, or drugs and alcohol; programs and policy makers need to take note that there are multiple contributing factors that often occur simultaneously that cause the death of an infant less than one year of age. Without a better understanding of the complexity of the individual (maternal behaviors), environmental/community (housing and income) and systems factors (health care infrastructure and policies) the infant mortality problem that we have seems too massive to solve.
For decades Memphis has been losing its battle against infant mortality. It is time for us to stop sweeping this crisis under the political rug. Infant mortality is not just a problem for the health department to fix. It is a social problem that reflects poor efforts to recognize the deadly effects of the combined ills of poverty, pollution, crime, lack of education, access to health care and safe, affordable housing. There needs to be a cultural change. There needs to be another message portrayed by the general media and communities as a whole that says: It takes a village to raise a child. It is too often that poor mothers are the prime victims of infant mortality. Due to the urban ills aforementioned they are often too isolated and uninformed of the programs and help available to them.
Although sexual education is a taboo subject in most families; it is time that we began to educate our youth before they are of the childbearing age collectively as a community; not just in schools or health clinics. Therefore our teachings will be comprehensive and subjects like infant mortality will hopefully become more apparent and we as a community and not just isolated elected officials can come up with solutions together to save our youth, invest in our future, and prevent these unnecessary deaths.
On a national level, Tennessee ranked 47th in infant mortality in 2009; third from the bottom of the worst places to raise a child. Programs like Healthy Start boast of their home visiting programs for first time parents; but it is not able to adequately address the accelerated growth of the teen pregnancy epidemic within the city of Memphis that has grown increasingly out of control, due to budget cuts and limited human resources.
As I collect more and more information about various programs across the state and locally I come to the conclusion that there is not a comprehensive effort in place. Instead of piecemeal programs, for SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), teen pregnancy prevention, domestic/ child abuse, or drugs and alcohol; programs and policy makers need to take note that there are multiple contributing factors that often occur simultaneously that cause the death of an infant less than one year of age. Without a better understanding of the complexity of the individual (maternal behaviors), environmental/community (housing and income) and systems factors (health care infrastructure and policies) the infant mortality problem that we have seems too massive to solve.
For decades Memphis has been losing its battle against infant mortality. It is time for us to stop sweeping this crisis under the political rug. Infant mortality is not just a problem for the health department to fix. It is a social problem that reflects poor efforts to recognize the deadly effects of the combined ills of poverty, pollution, crime, lack of education, access to health care and safe, affordable housing. There needs to be a cultural change. There needs to be another message portrayed by the general media and communities as a whole that says: It takes a village to raise a child. It is too often that poor mothers are the prime victims of infant mortality. Due to the urban ills aforementioned they are often too isolated and uninformed of the programs and help available to them.
Although sexual education is a taboo subject in most families; it is time that we began to educate our youth before they are of the childbearing age collectively as a community; not just in schools or health clinics. Therefore our teachings will be comprehensive and subjects like infant mortality will hopefully become more apparent and we as a community and not just isolated elected officials can come up with solutions together to save our youth, invest in our future, and prevent these unnecessary deaths.
