Birth Trauma / Medical Malpractice

Date: 11/13/2008

TimesDaily on infant mortality:

The infant mortality rate is inching upward in Alabama, and there is little extra money to educate and provide care to those who need it the most.

An unsettling trend that for years was being reversed has changed courses, causing concern among state health officials that money may not be available to continue combating the problem.

The Alabama Department of Public Health reports that infant mortality rates crept up slightly from 2006 to 2007, the latest year information is available. In the Shoals, the rate continues to decrease, except in Colbert County.

Numbers compiled in 2007 show that for every 1,000 live births in Alabama, 10 children did not live past their first birthday. That compares to nine deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006.

In the Shoals, the trend is less clear. Franklin County’s deaths per 1,000 live births has shown a steady decline — from six in 2005 to four in 2007 — while Lauderdale County’s rate dipped from nine to seven per 1,000 between 2005 and 2006, but jumped to nine in 2007. Colbert County, however, has shown a steady increase in infant mortality. The rate has increased from five in 2005 to eight in 2007.

Health officials aren’t sure why the rate has increased, but lack of health care insurance may be one of the culprits. Another culprit may be the reversal of the decline in teen pregnancies. Officials say the lack of prenatal care, low education attainment, smoking, and health problems associated with teenagers becoming pregnant (some as young as 11 and 12) all contribute to the rising rates of infant mortality.

The solution? One of the answers is more money, which could be used to provide prenatal care to all women who don’t have health care insurance. Don Williamson, state health officer, said an ideal solution would be to provide coverage to unborn children, but admits that the state would have a difficult time finding the money.

Others say the relative lack of sex education in schools — particularly safe sex and birth control information — may be contributing to the problems.

Once again, Alabama is faced with a public health problem and little money to reverse it. Budgets will be tighter than usual in the coming year, but the governor and legislators should work to find whatever extra money may be available to combat the rising infant mortality rate.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.