Editorial: We must do more to save black babies in Fresno County

“Black Lives Matter” has been the rallying cry of the year in civil rights, but in Fresno County, we need placards that say, “Black Babies Matter.”

For decades, community leaders have known that without effective social programs, black infants die here at an alarming rate — three times the death rate of white children. Periodically, there is an effort to address the crisis, programs put in place, terrific progress made that slashes those numbers in half. Then there are money issues and life-saving programs are cut. We might as well have started digging tiny, little graves right then. The correlation of the loss of financial support from federal, state and county funding on infant mortality here has been tragic.

Now, once again, we have a wrenching story by The Bee’s Barbara Anderson that black infants are — again, like in the early 1990s— dying at a rate three times that of white babies: Their infant mortality rate is 24.7 per 1,000 live births. Hispanic babies died at a rate of 8.5, white babies at 7.9 and Asian babies at a rate of 7.8. These are children born alive but perished before their first birthdays.

In interviews, causes are gradually emerging through a study recently funded by First 5 Fresno County. The study was conducted by Fresno State’s Central Valley Health Policy Institute, which compiled a list of dozens of suggestions for action. Those are now being considered in community meetings.

Here are a couple of the surprising causes coming to light.

Information: There is a broken link in getting new information to many black families about their health, nutrition, mental health and well-being, and about community services available to help them. Where is the health-care outreach to their community?

Transportation: Fresno’s patchwork public transportation system is taking its toll. Bus service is time consuming, confusing, unreliable and sometimes half a mile or more from the doctor’s office. That’s a trek for a mother eight months pregnant with two other little ones to wrangle on a sweltering Fresno day. Young black mothers often do not have cars, and there are few obstetricians in rural areas or southwest Fresno where many of them live.

This is another area where outreach is lacking. Cal Viva Health, a Medi-Cal provider, has a van to transport patients to their appointments, but it asks for three days’ advance notice. “With less advance notice, we do our best to accommodate the patient,” according to Gregory Hund, CEO. “CVH is committed to assisting members, and providing transportation to and from medical appointments, even on short notice (when possible). To schedule the van, members call the Member Services number on their ID cards.” Lovely. But we are wondering how many young mothers know that?

Anthem Blue Cross also will arrange transportation for Medi-Cal members, reimburse for bus tokens and mileage, or arrange for a ride if they don’t have cars. The lead time is up to 10 days, but medical appointments are generally scheduled more than 10 days out. It’s not unusual for a doctor to want to see a high-risk mother weekly. We’re not sure what happens if there is an urgent visit requested by a doctor. Even so, how many patients know that?

Support: Women interviewed in the study said they felt unsupported by the community and very much alone. They don’t know where to go for answers or pregnancy instructions. This would seem to be a perfect outreach activity for the churches, universities, civic organizations and active pro-life groups in town.

The reasons babies are dying are complex and cultural, and the community is, once again, engaged. We encourage the leaders to persevere, continue with their progress and vow to follow through with the effective programs like those run by the Fresno County Department of Public Health, the visiting nurses program, and the Black Infant Health program. These programs have proven successful over decades of research. The return on the cost of preventive health pays off; it’s far less than paying the hundreds of thousands in hospital bills that can mount up over months while medical teams desperately try to save a single premature infant.

We encourage all officials who sign a budget to engage in this life-and-death discussion. Fresno County’s infant mortality rate has been unacceptably high for far too long. It’s not just black babies who are dying unnecessarily, 82 Hispanic deaths also occurred during 2013, 25 white babies and 14 Asians. Most of these deaths are preventable. Can there be a more devastating disappointment for young parents than to bury their baby before its first birthday?

Contact First 5 at 558-4900 or first5fresno.org to see how you or your group can play a part in saving children. Let’s fill those meeting rooms with people pledging to help these young families.

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 7:29 AM with the headline "Editorial: We must do more to save black babies in Fresno County."