You’ve seen the recent headlines: Too many babies die before their first birthdays. Too many babies are born too early, which comes with lifelong health risks and challenges. Hamilton County’s infant mortality rate rose in 2025, and every loss is a tragedy felt by families and our entire community.
Headlines like these can leave us feeling overwhelmed. But what if instead of turning away, we chose to ask what we can do together?
Because the truth is, things do not have to be this way. When moms and families are healthy and supported before, during, and after pregnancy, babies are more likely to thrive.
We know that safe housing, quality healthcare, stable jobs, and strong social connections support wellbeing by reducing toxic stress, which can harm pregnancy and birth outcomes. However, these resources are unevenly distributed across Greater Cincinnati’s neighborhoods.
In historically Black communities affected by segregation, residents face higher air pollution and environmental hazards linked to pregnancy issues. Data shows Black babies are 79% more likely to die before their first birthday in Hamilton County, according to Cradle Cincinnati.
We all have a reason to care. Infant vitality is one of the clearest indicators of a community’s overall health and wellbeing. When babies die at higher rates, it signals deeper challenges facing families and neighborhoods.
We know progress is possible. Infant mortality isn’t a challenge for any single organization or health care system. But when communities and organizations collaborate, we can make a difference.
Hamilton County has seen that progress before. Since 2011, preterm birth rates have trended downward. Much of this progress has been driven by solutions developed alongside women in historically Black communities facing the greatest risks to infant health.
For example, through Cradle Cincinnati’s Queens Village, new and expecting Black mothers support one another while also helping healthcare partners make systems more responsive and respectful. It is a reminder that the people closest to the challenges often hold the wisdom needed to create lasting change.
Other solutions are within reach. Unsafe sleep conditions remain part of the story behind many infant deaths. Safe sleep education matters, but deeper interventions matter too. Exhaustion, unstable housing, overcrowding, and financial strain can contribute to unsafe sleep situations for infants.
That is one reason paid family leave and stronger economic supports are so important for infant vitality. Financial stress affects parents’ physical and mental health and can directly impact birth outcomes.
Buffering moms and families from stress is something every one of us can help with. Ask yourself a simple question: “What can I do in one hour to support a new or expecting mom?”
Perhaps it’s delivering a meal, offering a ride, sitting with a baby so a mother can rest, supporting organizations working with families, or advocating for policies that ensure no family faces pregnancy or early parenthood unsupported.
This is a moment for businesses, faith communities, policymakers, health care systems, and neighbors to step forward together. The bi3 Fund remains committed to supporting Cradle Cincinnati, investing in moms and babies, and partnering with organizations and leaders driving this work. We invite others to join us.
Healthy babies are foundational to a healthy economy and a strong community. If we want Cincinnati to be one of the best places to live, we must start by ensuring all moms and babies have the opportunity to thrive.
Every baby deserves a first birthday. Every mother deserves support before, during, and after pregnancy. And every one of us has a role to play.
Jill Miller is President and CEO of the bi3 Fund, which has awarded more than $120 million in grants to fuel health equity and innovation. She is also the co-author of the book “Infant Mortality and Other Wicked Problems.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati can do better for moms and babies | Opinion
Reporting by Jill Miller, Opinion contributor / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
