Abstract Information: Ohio has a persistent infant mortality problem. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies Ohio as having the second highest rate of infant mortality in the United States amongst non-Hispanic Black women (CDC, 2018a). Many of the identified causes of infant mortality, such as lack of access to prenatal care and postnatal care, poor health of expectant mothers, the effect of substance abuse, low birth weight, and premature births, are difficult to impact in the short term (Nash et al., 2017; Rose, 2017). Currently, much of the focused efforts regarding infant mortality target the prenatal to birth health of the mother and child, even though the most recent data suggest that upwards to 45% of infant fatalities in Ohio occur after the infants are one month old (CDC, 2018b). Initiatives aimed at ameliorating these trends simply count the number of infants born that make it to one year of age. This evaluation proposes that rather than count, there are better ways to understand what the impacts are and for whom.
Relevance Statement: This evaluation examines the impacts and outcomes of the Pathway HUB, a Maternal and Infant Mortality HUB in NE Ohio. The Pathway HUB aims to provide a one-stop point of contact for primarily minority pregnant women who are no-to-low-income and high-risk. This evaluation focuses on the women who were enrolled in the Pathway HUB and have given birth between 2016 and 2020. The funders are interested in counting mothers' participation in various HUB activities and the count of birth outcomes (weight and gestation age). However, this evaluation attempted to dig deeper into these mothers' stories and how they relate to their infant's birth. The available research on birth outcomes made it evident that prior experiences can impact the child's birth. Research suggests that prior pregnancies affect the infant's health in the absence of any interventions. Results indicate that the HUB positively impacts preterm rates for women who have previously experienced one or more preterm deliveries. Likewise, results suggest that the HUB positively impacts the birth weight of enrolled women who have previously given birth to a low-birth-weight infant. Results indicate a significant association between 1st and 2nd-trimester enrollee's dosage of HUB services, supports, and positive birth outcomes. The implication of these findings suggests that the HUB is providing needed support and assistance to at-risk pregnant women to mitigate the likelihood of repeated preterm and low weight births, lowering infant mortality for their clients in NE Ohio.
