JOINT CENTER News Room
Infant mortality rate gap gets Capitol Hill spotlight
October 16, 2007
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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MEDIA ADVISORY
Rep. Steve I. Cohen, D-Tenn., plans a briefing on infant mortality on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 9 a.m. in Room HC-8 of the Capitol. Cohen (D) has asked key members of a National Commission on Infant Mortality that was convened by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies to brief him on the topic, drawing on four reports on various aspects of the problem that were released Sept. 28.
Cohen represents Memphis, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has the highest rate of infant mortality among the nation's 60 largest cities.
Dr. Ronald David, a California neonatologist who co-chaired the Joint Center's commission, and Ruth Lubic, the women's health activist who runs a birthing center in Washington, will talk about the kind of policy changes that could help close a gap in infant mortality rates that disproportionately harms black families.
The commission's reports conclude that the infant mortality crisis can best be addressed if the socioeconomic surroundings of black women get more attention. Public policy responses also should take into account the relationships women have with their babies, their babies fathers and the communities where they live. The commission says society must move away from traditional responses that blame mothers for infant deaths.
Cohen hopes the briefing will generate discussion and interest in a legislative response, although he has not yet drafted a bill. He and his staff also are considering holding a summit on the issue in Memphis.
The problem is by no means limited to Memphis. The CDC says when it comes to high infant mortality rates, Memphis, Detroit, Washington, Norfolk and Birmingham are the top five cities in the U.S.
Copies of the reports by the National Commission on Infant Mortality, produced for the Joint Center's Health Policy Institute, are available on the Joint Center's web site, www.jointcenter.org or by contacting the Joint Center, 1090 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005-4928.
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