Cradle Cincinnati receives funding, battles infant mortality

Cradle Cincinnati received more than $1 million in funding in an effort to reduce the infant mortality rate in Cincinnati and Hamilton County.  

Cradle Cincinnati, which recently celebrated it’s one year anniversary, is a collective impact collaborative made up of political, hospital, health and community leaders who have a vision that every child born in Hamilton County will live to see his or her first birthday. 

Funding for Cradle Cincinnati came from various organizations in the community: UC Health, Hamilton County, The City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s, TriHealth, The Christ Hospital, Interact for Health, United Way, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, the Elise Brown Family Foundation and Eat Play Give. 

Hamilton County lost 543 babies during the past five years, and the city of Cincinnati’s infant mortality rate during these five years was two times higher than the national average. However, Cradle Cincinnati has a plan to reduce that number moving forward by focusing on women’s health in general, in hopes that pregnancy health and infant health will also improve.  

There are many indicators that affect infant mortality, but Cradle Cincinnati has a strategic plan to battle infant mortality through three of them: spacing, smoking and sleep. The collective aims to encourage more spacing time between pregnancies and reduce tobacco use to decrease premature birth while also reminding women about safer sleep practices for infants.

“There is no silver bullet when it comes to infant mortality,” says Elizabeth Kelly, MD, co-founder and physician lead. “These are the three indicators that can have the greatest impact in a shorter amount of time.”

Do Good:
•    Send your love. Write a letter to a mom in the city. 

•    Join in the citywide fight against infant mortality by educating yourself and friends about spacing, smoking and sleep.

•    Share Cradle Cincinnati’s story with a friend. Let them know the state of our community.