Task force launched, looking to prevent baby deaths in Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County leaders are coming together to help prevent baby deaths in our area.

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As reported on News Center 7 at 6, Montgomery County and the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA) have partnered to create a maternal and baby health task force.

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The county’s baby death rate in 2023 was approximately 9.8. That reflects the number of baby deaths per 1,000 live births.

Dr. Andre Morris worked for years in the community and is now chief medical officer at Miami Valley Hospital.

He’s pleased the county took this big step to push for healthy babies and mothers, but this is just the start of the work.

“Making sure the community, West Dayton in particular, has the doctors there, has the pediatricians, the obstetricians,” Morris said.

He said the support system helps the mother be healthy in nine months of pregnancy and helps them grow healthy in the first year.

The leaders of this push, GDAHA, and the county’s office of strategic initiatives present the plan to commissioners on Tuesday.

Sarah Hackenbracht, CEO of the GDAHA, said the focus will be on preventable deaths.

Hackenbracht said healthy babies happen when mothers have education, prenatal care, and access to resources.

“At the same time, we’ll have to have hard conversations as a community around economic inequality, structural racism, unmet health needs,” she said.

The task force plans to have at least three community listening events.

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