By Rick Pluta
Governor Rick Snyder will deliver the opening remarks today at a gathering in Ypsilanti of health professionals and government officials trying to find ways to bring down Michigan's high infant mortality rate. The governor called for the summit to find out why the state has one of the nations' higher mortality rates.
In Michigan, almost eight infants of every thousand born don't live to see their first birthday. Among African-Americans, that number is much bigger 15 infants out of every thousand don't live to age one. The national average is six-point-seven births per thousand.
For the past 30 years, the infant mortality rate has improved in Michigan, but that trend has reversed over the past three years, said Angela Minicuci of the state Department of Community Health.
"The main purpose of this summit is to really find out what is causing this increase, especially over the last three years and what we can do to address it."
The infant mortality rate is also considered a useful measure of how well the health care system is working. Governor Snyder called for reducing infant mortality in a health care message that also focused on Michigan's high rate of obesity.
© Copyright 2010, MPRN
Governor Rick Snyder will deliver the opening remarks today at a gathering in Ypsilanti of health professionals and government officials trying to find ways to bring down Michigan's high infant mortality rate. The governor called for the summit to find out why the state has one of the nations' higher mortality rates.
In Michigan, almost eight infants of every thousand born don't live to see their first birthday. Among African-Americans, that number is much bigger 15 infants out of every thousand don't live to age one. The national average is six-point-seven births per thousand.
For the past 30 years, the infant mortality rate has improved in Michigan, but that trend has reversed over the past three years, said Angela Minicuci of the state Department of Community Health.
"The main purpose of this summit is to really find out what is causing this increase, especially over the last three years and what we can do to address it."
The infant mortality rate is also considered a useful measure of how well the health care system is working. Governor Snyder called for reducing infant mortality in a health care message that also focused on Michigan's high rate of obesity.
© Copyright 2010, MPRN