The group is hoping to draw attention to the statistics regarding Black women and pregnancy-related deaths. Author: Kailey Tracy Updated: 6:37 PM EDT April 14, 2021
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A group on the First Coast that provides services to mothers and their babies is bringing attention to the data related to maternal deaths.
The Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition is highlighting those numbers, and racial disparities in healthcare, specifically this week: Black Maternal Health Week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women in the United States.
Local group combats high infant mortality rate in Duval County
Lena Pringle, Anchor/traffic and general assignment reporter
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the state.
According to Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, ZIP codes 32209 in Northwest Jacksonville and 32210 on the Westside have the highest rates of infant mortality in Jacksonville.
Those areas are also disproportionately impacted by high rates of poverty, crime and drug use.
“High rates of infant mortality are essentially an indicator of the city’s health,” said Faye Johnson, CEO of Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition.
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Bonding through music
Whatever her culture or social class, every mother instinctively coos, hums, and sings to her baby – even before her baby is born.
Studies have shown that babies hear and respond to external sounds during pregnancy, and recognize their mother s voice at birth. So when you talk to your baby, and even more when you sing her a lullaby, she experiences the same sense of security and well-being she felt in the womb. Your baby won t understand the lyrics, but she ll respond to the way you sing the song. A lullaby is a mother s tenderness put to music, says writer Eliana Tardio. Tardio, originally from Bolivia, is an educational outreach liaison at the Florida Healthy Start Coalition, an organization that provides free or low-cost medical services to mothers at risk of having a premature baby or a baby with genetic problems.