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November marks National Prematurity Awareness Month.
Premature birth occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy and it is the number one cause of infant deaths in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost 400,000 babies are born premature each year.
In 2021, Columbus Public Health reported 17,366 babies were born and almost 2,000 were premature.
While some preterm births are unavoidable, taking good care of yourself during pregnancy can help reduce the risk of preterm labor and premature births.
- See a physician when you think you are pregnant and go to all of your prenatal check-ups.
- Be sure to take care of your own health conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or thyroid problems.
- Don’t smoke, drink or use drugs.
- Reduce your stress.
- If possible, try to achieve a healthy weight before pregnancy. Talk to your physician about the appropriate amount of weight to gain during pregnancy.
- Protect yourself from infections.
More research is needed to understand risk factors for premature birth like family history, race and ethnicity, nutrition and environment. Be sure to consult your doctor with any concerns you may have so that every effort can be made for you to have a healthy term baby.
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Calling all health professionals, agency workers, community-based organizations and those passionate about preventing infant mortality.
Join us for the 2022 Ohio Infant Mortality Summit December 2-3. This year’s theme is Mobilizing Communities, Keeping Ohio Babies Safe.
On Friday, December 2, the conference will be held in person at Columbus State Community College, Mitchell Hall, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The meeting will be simulcast at 10 sites throughout the state. At 1 p.m. a variety of workshops and panel discussions will be offered.
On Saturday, December 3, the conference will be held virtually from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will focus entirely on community engagement.
The keynote speaker is journalist/author Linda Villarosa, contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine covering race, inequality and public health. She is the author of Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and the Health of Our Nation.
The following counties are part of the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality's Central Region and we welcome you to join us for one or both sessions: Ashland, Coshocton, Crawford, Delaware, Franklin, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Richland, Union, Wayne and Wyandot.
To learn more and register:https://ocpim.org/2022-ohio-infant-mortality-summit/
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Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, people take the time to kick off the holiday season by giving back to their community.
On November 29, consider making a $25 donation to CelebrateOne to help us purchase new sleep sacks that are given to newborns at local hospitals.
Sleep sacks keep infants warm without the need for loose blankets in the crib. Blankets pose a suffocation danger for infants if the blankets come loose and obstruct breathing.
Donating is simple through the Columbus Foundation. Since we are a public and private partnership, your donation is tax deductible.
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Black pregnant women continue to face long-standing health disparities in Franklin County but a $2.5 million, five-year federal grant will help address these inequities through health education, expansion of clinical services and advocacy.
CelebrateOne and its partner, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, were recently awarded the Catalyst Infant Health Equity grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration and is the only recipient in Ohio and one of nine nationwide.
The grant will make it possible to put into operation three main strategies:
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Driving structural changes. Discussions with local Black women highlighted struggles with lack of knowledge about what to expect during pregnancy and feeling that they were unheard by their health care providers. Participating clinic sites will conduct assessments about health literacy and racial equity, then collaborate to improve.
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Embedding community health workers. Community health workers whose lived experiences are similar to those of expectant Black mothers will become a part of four prenatal clinic sites. They’ll serve to expand the capacity of those clinic sites, provide empathetic representation for patients, participate in clinic assessments and improvements and help connect patients to community resources.
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Growing a sustainable community voice. Discussions with local Black women also emphasized challenges that involve public policy concerns, like maternal leave, childcare and discrimination based on health insurance status. A grassroots women’s group called Queen’s Village Columbus was formed in January 2022 and is focusing on Black maternal health and advocacy.
“Our entire partnership wants to accelerate the community momentum that has been developing since the beginning of CelebrateOne,” said Christine Sander, senior director of Infant and Child Wellness at Nationwide Children’s and director of Ohio Better Birth Outcomes. “We’re grateful to receive the grant and are looking forward to what it can help us accomplish.”
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Thirty-two Black women participated in a research study conducted by CelebrateOne, Design Impact and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The purpose of the study was twofold; to understand the experiences of women of color as they relate to pregnancy; to reduce racial health disparities as outlined in CelebrateOne’s strategic plan.
Download the study, recently published in an international journal, Women’s Health: https://www.columbus.gov/celebrate-one/A-study-of-perinatal-experiences-among-women-of-color/
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We're hiring!
Do you want to make a difference in our community?
When you join our team, you will be helping Columbus families to thrive.
We have positions open for a director and managers and we are also seeking community health workers.
The director and manager positions are members of our leadership team and will lead our efforts to engage with our partners to ensure all babies celebrate their first birthday.
As a community health worker, you’ll connect soon-to-be moms and new moms with the right people and resources in our community to ensure a healthy birth outcome.
Our health workers also assist with events, such as baby showers and birthday parties and conduct safe sleep trainings. This position offers full and part-time opportunities. No experience is required but customer service or community outreach experience is preferred.
If you want to join the dynamic team at CelebrateOne, please complete the following two steps:
- Email a resume and cover letter to Jennifer Moore, director of operations, JLMoore@columbus.gov
- Apply online https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/columbusoh
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