Health care gap threatens Detroit babies

[Judi Lynn]

Sunday, December 19, 2004



Infants At Risk

Health care gap threatens Detroit babies

Medical officials work to help pregnant women get the services and lifestyle changes they need.

By Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News

While black babies born to mothers in Detroit may have a better chance of survival than those in some suburbs, health officials say too many urban infants still are dying.
Women living in Detroit are more likely to be without health insurance, face greater struggles finding early and adequate prenatal care or lack the education to know behaviors such as smoking and drinking can affect the health of their child.

In Detroit, the risks are especially high for black women, whose babies are three times as likely to die as whites.

For every 1,000 black infants born in Detroit, 17 die before they are 1 year old, state health records from 1998-2002 show. By contrast, for every 1,000 white infants who are born in the city, six will die.

The city's black infant mortality rate ranks poorly when stacked up against other major U.S. cities, but it is not as high as other places in the state, including Oakland County, where black babies are four times more likely to die than whites.
(snip/...)

http://www.detnews.com/2004/specialreport/0412/19/A15-36503.htm

[Muzzle Tough]

1. How can you not know that smoking and drinking are bad for your baby?

"..... lack the education to know behaviors such as smoking and drinking can affect the health of their child."

The warning is right there on the label.

And besdies that, it's just common sense.

How could anyone in this day and age not know that?

[lazarus]

3. the same way

people still believe Saddam had something to do with 9/11, I guess.

It happens.

To me, the "lack of education" and smoking and drinking aren't the problem. Poverty means poor prenatal nutrition and health, which leads to higher mortality rates.

[sandnsea]

4. nutrition, vitamins, doctors

I agree. Babies up to a year old aren't dying because a mom smoked or drank during pregnancy. Being able to see a doctor in a timely manner is probably the main culprit, not putting it off until it's too late.

[Lefty48197]

7. Whoppers with cheese are bad for people too, but they keep on eating them

Sometimes it takes the shame of having to admit to your doctor that you are doing something irresponsible to give you the will to make the lifestyle change. Women without health care, and who don't visit doctors don't have that advantage. Thus the disparity in results.

[aikido15]

2. And the layoff of 4,000 nurses...

in Detroit doesn't help matters. They were laid off because of a $138 million budget gap...when Bush is spending $270 billion a month in Iraq..hum

[Laughing Mirror]

5. Detroit's in sad shape, but infant mortality in US is up everywhere

And, for the first time in 40 years. Is this just a "blip" in statistics? Or does this rise in infant mortality for the first time in decades indicate a country with a serious problem in health decline?

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Dec. 6, 2004.

Deaths among children younger than 1 year old increased for the first time in more than 40 years, according to a report, "America's Health: State Health Rankings," published in November. The rate increased from 6.8 per 1,000 in 2001 to 7 per 1,000 in 2002 -- a far cry from the Healthy People 2010 goal of 4.5 per 1,000.

"It's only a little blip, but it's very concerning," said John Kattwinkel, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.mic

The state health rankings report has been published annually for the past 15 years by the United Health Foundation in conjunction with the American Public Health Assn. and the Partnership for Prevention, using data collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health agencies.

Experts acknowledged the possibility that the infant mortality uptick could be a fluke, but most believe that it could be the beginning of a true increase, because other related indicators have been headed in the wrong direction for several years, particularly prematurity and low-birth-weight rates.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/12/06/hlsb1206.htm

[lazarus]

9. and did we hear a thing about infant mortality

during the campaigns?

the only time I've EVER heard candidates discuss infant morality was way back in 92, when Jerry Brown and Pat Buchanan (!!!) were the only ones to discuss it.

[Lefty48197]

6. Look at the disparity in the Oakland Co. numbers

Unfucking believable that the wealthiest county in Michigan can't provide proper health care for the most vulnerable of our expectant mothers.

[TahitiNut]

8. Oakland County is ghettoized.

The City of Pontiac accounts for the plurality of the black population.

[Deja Q]

10. Sorry, our 'culture of life' only works for the wealthy elite...

Humans and Christians don't qualify.