Season 2, Episode 1. Issues in Maternal and Child Health - An Interview with Duane Herron

Grass Roots Health

Of all similar, wealthy nations of the world, Americans pay the most for health care (I call it “sick care”) and receive the least back for their investment.

Get out your large, foam finger. We are No. 1 in health care! We're No 1. USA! USA! USA! Right? Wrong!

Infant mortality (death) rate is often used as a proxy indicator of a nation’s health. The U.S. had a higher infant mortality rate than other wealthy countries like us in 2023. Even the Slovak Republic and Chile were better!

The infant death rate in 2013 was 5.9 per 1,000 live births. What was the infant death rate in 2023, ten years into the future? The provisional number provided by the CDC for 2023 (CDC, 2024) was 5.61 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. A major drop, correct? Nope! However, Black infants died the most. I am sure it is the amount of pigment in their skin.

A Vital Statistics Rapid Release report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that the provisional infant mortality rate for the United States in 2022 rose 3% from 2021, the first year-to-year increase in the rate since 2001 to 2002. You can read the details here: Infant Mortality in United States: Provisional Data from the 2022 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File

In maternal health, the U.S. has a similar problem. In 2022, the maternal death rate was approximately 22 deaths per 100,000 live births, which again is much higher than other wealthy nations like ours. In fact, the U.S. maternal death rate is 55% greater than that of Chile.

Like their babies, black pregnant moms have the highest death rates.

Are there issues in maternal and child health? Listen as host, Tim Jordan explores these issues and more with our expert guest, Mr. Duane Herron of Georgia.

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Resources for This Podcast:

1) Website: Cobb and Douglass Counties, Public Heath
https://cobbanddouglaspublichealth.com/

2) Website: CDC, Maternal and Child Heath.
https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-infant-health/infant-mortality/

3) Report: March of Dimes Report Card for the U.S.
https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/reports/united-states/report-card

4) Website: The World Health Organization. Social Determinants of Health
https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health

5) Podcast to Listen To: The Fractured U.S. Health Care System. https://1795group.com/episode/episode-2/

6) Podcast to Listen To: Is There Racism in the U.S. Health Care System? https://1795group.com/episode/episode-4/

7) Podcast to Listen To: Is There Racism in Maternal and Child Health in the United States?
https://1795group.com/episode/episode-24-is-there-racism-and-maternal-and-child-health-in-the-united-states-an-interview-with-duane-herron-tiffiny-jones-and-elizabeth-williams/
8) Article: Racism Creates Inequities in Maternal and Child Health, Even Before Birth. (2021). https://www.childtrends.org/publications/racism-creates-inequities-maternal-child-health-even-before-birth?

9) Article to Read: Systemic Racism – A Key Risk Factor for Maternal Death and Illness. (2021). https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2021/systemic-racism-key-risk-factor-maternal-death-and-illness?

10) Article to Read: Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them (2022). https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-current-status-and-efforts-to-address-them/?

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• Grass Roots Health is sponsored by the 1795 Group. www.1795group.com
• Grass Roots Health is produced and hosted by Tim Jordan.
• Duane Herron was booked by Tim Jordan.
• Artwork created by Samantha Hruby.
• Audio editing, mixing, and mastering by Suma Recording, Painesville, Ohio https://www.sumarecording.com/
• Website design by Alex Brinkman, Green Tree Media, Perrysburg, Ohio www.greentreemediallc.com