We have passionate people involved in the infant mortality crisis, but the efforts are fragmented. Needed: leadership.....
Poverty, unemployment, segregation, teen pregnancy, obesity, stress and race all play a role in poor birth outcomes for African-American women....."Anything that can be done to reduce stress in a woman's life can make a difference in birth outcomes, said George Morris, immediate past president at the Medical Society of Milwaukee County.
Morris believes that it's important for someone to lead the infant mortality effort so that everyone can understand their roles. An effort to combat teen pregnancy, now on the decline in Milwaukee, is an example of how positive leadership can change bad outcomes.
When Milwaukee led the nation in teen pregnancies, many people had become complacent with children having children. But the United Way of Greater Milwaukee got involved and made curbing teenage pregnancies one of its primary goals.
The organization brought together partners from across all sectors of the community and explained that teen pregnancy was not just a problem in minority communities - it was everyone's problem. They were able to rally the community around the issue, and the results have been four straight years of reductions."
Morris believes that it's important for someone to lead the infant mortality effort so that everyone can understand their roles. An effort to combat teen pregnancy, now on the decline in Milwaukee, is an example of how positive leadership can change bad outcomes.
When Milwaukee led the nation in teen pregnancies, many people had become complacent with children having children. But the United Way of Greater Milwaukee got involved and made curbing teenage pregnancies one of its primary goals.
The organization brought together partners from across all sectors of the community and explained that teen pregnancy was not just a problem in minority communities - it was everyone's problem. They were able to rally the community around the issue, and the results have been four straight years of reductions."
