St. Louis program addresses high infant mortality

ST. LOUIS -- A new project aims to address high infant mortality rates in sections of St. Louis.

In the city's Hyde Park neighborhood, 24 infants died between 2009 and 2012, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

That's a rate nearly four times the national average.

High infant mortality also is a problem in sections of northern St. Louis County, where the rates are twice the national average.

Infant mortality rates include children who die from birth through age 1.

The average infant mortality rate in the United States is 6 deaths per 1,000 births.

A program sponsored by an initiative called Flourish St. Louis includes reaching out to families in affected neighborhoods and holding town-hall meetings on the issue.

About 40 people were at a gathering held Tuesday near downtown St. Louis.

"We can look at that data all we want, but without talking to and engaging the community, we are missing a big piece of the puzzle," said Kendra Copanas, executive director of Maternal, Child & Family Health Coalition.

The coalition is the primary organizer of the Flourish initiative.

The outreach work is funded by the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Public-health officials acknowledge previous initiatives have failed to tackle infant mortality in the poorest parts of the city and county.

Former DePaul Hospital president Bob Porter said previous efforts relied too much on reaching mothers in low-income neighborhoods through traditional health-care models.

Porter is among cabinet members leading the new initiative.

"There's been too many efforts by policy makers and big institutions that really don't comprehend the challenges and problems the community faces," he said.

This time, organizers said they have a mobilized group of mothers, fathers and grandparents from the most affected neighborhood behind them.

Sam Blue, a married father who lost an infant, took mothers to the gathering in his own small school bus.

Forum participants were asked to talk about why the region has such high infant mortality rates.

Answers included drug use, lack of access or a desire to seek prenatal care, low incomes, inadequate public transportation and a lack of options for healthy food.

Copanas said information gathered from forum participants would go to a blueprint for change.