The Eliminating Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality Task Force made a clear plan with practical steps to help fix long-standing differences in birth outcomes between racial groups.

Governor Mike DeWine started this Task Force in December 2020. Task Force members worked with leaders at all levels to find ways to reduce racial differences in infant deaths in Ohio. Their goal is to create a statewide plan to lower infant death rates and end racial gaps by 2030. The Task Force made recommendations for new programs, better data collection, improved quality, and policy changes. These ideas will help guide the Governor’s Office of Children’s Initiatives in making decisions to reduce racial differences in birth outcomes.

In 2022, 914 babies in Ohio died before their first birthday—two more than in 2021. Of these, 273 were Black infants, which is 16 fewer than in 2021 and fewer than in previous years. Still, Black infants are 2.4 times more likely to die than white infants. The infant mortality rate measures how many babies die for every 1,000 live births. For Black infants, this rate dropped from 13.9 in 2021 to 13.4 in 2022, but the gap between Black and white infants remains.