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Michigan officials report lowest infant mortality rates in state history
Michigan is recording its lowest infant mortality in history, with a combination of mother-and-baby health initiatives credited for pushing up survival rates.
The topic was among those discussed during the annual Maternal Infant Health Summit, which met June 17 and 18 in Lansing. The event, hosted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, included sharing ideas on how to improve the health of Michigan's new mothers and babies.
"We are proud of the improvements we are making and will continue to make when it comes to the health of moms and babies," said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director, in a press release about the conference.
Infant mortality is defined as the death of a baby who was born alive but died before their first birthday. The most common causes include prematurity, low birth weight, congenital anomalies and accidents. The data provided by state officials is as follows:
During 2023, 607 Michigan infants under the age of 1 died. That's a ratio of 6.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
During 2022, there were 650 deaths for a ratio of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative, launched in 2021, is getting credit for this improvement. The specific pieces in that initiative include continuing Medicaid coverage to one year after birth, making doula services available to expecting parents and the CenteringPregnancy model of care.
Doulas are trained to provide guidance, educational and emotional support during prenatal, labor and delivery and postpartum times. There are more than 700 doulas on Michigan's Doula Registry; nearly 500 of whom are Medicaid-enrolled providers.
CenteringPregnancy is an approach that integrates routine prenatal care with additional education about health, pregnancy and parenting within a group setting. In Michigan, there are currently 35 CenteringPregnancy sites and three CenteringParenting sites, including some medical providers and clinic locations in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Livonia, Pontiac, Sterling Heights, Westland and Ypsilanti.
