Program Description

Infant mortality, the death of a baby before his or her first birthday, is a crucial indicator of a community’s health and well-being. In 2024, the overall infant mortality rate (IMR) for Cuyahoga County was 8.59. This rate is 25% higher than the State of Ohio (6.64) and 43% higher than the United States (5.53). Even more concerning is the 2024 Black non-Hispanic IMR of 15.99. Black families are currently experiencing an infant mortality rate that is 3.64 times higher than that of White families.

The Maternal and Infant Vitality Initiative (MIVI) is a grant-funded collaboration between the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and local partners, created in 2012, to address these racial inequities in birth outcomes. Population data is used to target areas for outreach and services in the 10 Ohio counties with the largest disparities. These 10 counties accounted for 88% of Ohio’s non-Hispanic Black infant deaths and 60% of all infant deaths in 2023. The overall purpose is to address the biggest drivers of inequities in poor birth outcomes and infant mortality in the 10 counties with the greatest racial disparities. The structure of MIVI involves a three-prong approach that includes: Neighborhood Navigation to help families connect to the care and support they need. Using local Community Data (epidemiology) to drive local solutions. Stakeholder Engagement and Service Planning to bring partners together to create solutions that work.

MIVI Principles:

1. Prioritize or focus on racial equity.
2. Build and/or enhance internal racial equity organizational capacity.
3. Respect and follow the people most affected by poor birth outcomes and infant deaths as primary guides.
4. Build power, amplify voices, and elevate communities and residents.
5. Partner with other institutions and communities of color to adopt a shared agenda, goals, objectives, data analysis, use coordinated strategies, and develop consistent metrics to measure progress.
6. Develop and implement locally designed upstream strategies and downstream interventions through community engagement and use of local data to address drivers of racial inequities impacting poor birth outcomes and infant mortality.
7. Serve as a local expert for projects related to infant mortality and maternal and child health epidemiology.
8. Identify clear and effective ways to determine accountability and success.
9. Shared learning.

Neighborhood Navigation Program

Neighborhood Navigators work directly in high-priority communities to build trust and connect pregnant women and families to essential clinical and community services. Navigators help guide families through services including prenatal care, parenting resources, baby items, mental health, and more. Neighborhood Navigators are trained, passionate, and committed to the health and wellness of their neighbors.

The Cuyahoga County Neighborhood Navigation Program is implemented locally by the team at Neighborhood Leadership Institute.

If you are pregnant or a family with children under the age of 1 year looking to be connected with a Neighborhood Navigator, please call 216-658-1355.

Community Data

We collect and analyze local data to understand the root causes of infant mortality and poor birth outcomes in each community. This includes looking at factors such as access to care, safe housing, transportation, and other social needs. This information is shared through community-friendly tools like infographics, fact sheets, and reports – so families, organizations, and decision-makers can work together to create meaningful change.

To review the most recent Cuyahoga County fetal and infant mortality data points, please visit our Child Fatality Review Data Dashboard.

Stakeholder Engagement and Service Implementation

We convene community groups, service providers, and state-funded programs several times a year to align efforts and plan new services based on data and community feedback. Together, we identify what is needed most and design programs to support and reduce disparities in birth outcomes. This process helps ensure services are community-driven, culturally responsive, and focused on long-term impact.