The Eliminating Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality Task Force created a bold road map for change in actionable, practical, but ambitious recommendations aimed at accelerating the rate of change needed to overcome decades of disparities in birth outcomes. You can read and download the recommendations on our website. 

Governor Mike DeWine announced in December 2020 that he was establishing the Eliminating Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality Task Force. Members worked with local, state, and national leaders to identify needed changes to address Ohio’s racial disparities in infant mortality. With the goal of developing a statewide shared vision and strategy for reducing infant mortality rates and eliminating racial disparities by 2030, the Task Force created actionable recommendations for interventions, performance and quality improvement, data collection, and policies. These findings will be used to advise the Governor’s Office of Children’s Initiatives on ways to improve Ohio’s investments and strategies to address racial inequities in birth outcomes.

The number of Ohio infants who died before their first birthdays dropped to 864 in 2020 from 929 in 2019, marking the fourth straight year of decline, according to the Ohio Department of Health 2020 Infant Mortality Report. There were 326 Black infant deaths in 2020, a decrease of 30 from 2019. This is lower than 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. However, the racial disparities gap continues to widen, with Black infants being 2.7 times more likely to die than white infants. The number of white infants that died in 2020 was 493, the lowest number in the past 10 years.

Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births) by Race, Ohio (2011 – 2020)

Data Source: Resident Birth and Mortality Files from the Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics

The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Ohio infant mortality across all races was 6.7 per 1,000 live births in 2020, down from 6.9 in 2019. The Black infant mortality rate was 13.6 in 2020, down from 14.3 in 2019. The Ohio and national goal is 6.0 or fewer infant deaths per 1,000 live births in every racial and ethnic group.

A Collaborative Approach

The Eliminating Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality Task Force engaged in a focused, multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to health improvement. This was done by coordinating with members of communities with high infant mortality, and internal and external stakeholders that serve groups that are disproportionately affected by poor birth outcomes. 

Contact Information:

Allison Payten M.Ed., MCHES
Infant Vitality Project Manager 
Ohio Department of Health
Bureau of Maternal, Child and Family Health
246 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Phone:  (614) 371-9355
E-mail:  Allison.Payten@odh.ohio.gov