HEALTH DISPARITIES A variety of factors contribute to Ohio’s signi cant infant mortality rate.e Ohio Department of Health examined the infant mortality rate between 2009 and 2013.e biggest factor driving Ohio’s infant mortality rate during that time period was premature births, which contributed to 46.7 percent of infant mortality. Another set of causes related to Ohio infant mortality were sleep related causes, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), asphyxia, or undetermined causes, which contributed to 16.2 percent of infant deaths. Smoking also likely stood as a contributing factor to some of the aforementioned categories, including 23 to 24 percent of SIDS deaths, the report indicated. While health disparities exist in rates of infant mortality, Alexander says greater health disparities also exist in other areas of wellness measurement. People of color tend to experience higher rates of asthma, prostate cancer, and other issues, Alexander says. While people of all races experience health problems, some problems are more concentrated in populations of color. “ey’re dying at an earlier age,” Alexander says. “So these are health issues that are unique in terms of their intensity for people of color.”is underscores a great opportunity and a great need for prevention tactics, Alexander notes. “If we invest early, I think we will save lives in the future, and also reduce some of our healthcare costs,” Alexander says. UMADAOP RESPONSE From its foundation in 1980, UMADAOP has worked with urban minorities, according to the Akron UMADAOP’s website. “We’re part of the community,” Alexander says. Alexander says UMADAOP is positioned to help heal communities, and works to provide culturally competent services to its clients. A culturally competent treatment environment is one in which clients feel welcomed. “It’s almost like home,” Alexander says. “You don’t have any hesitancy. No barriers are there.” One way to increase culturally competent services is to increase the racial, ethnic, and gender identi cation diversity of service providers, Alexander says. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2010, 45.2 percent of the Youngstown City population surveyed identi ed as Black, or African American alone. Additionally, 9.3 percent surveyed identi ed as Hispanic or Latino. Part of the work UMADAOP does relates to prioritizing policies which address the needs of urban minorities. “We have a lot of work to do in order to get quality outcomes in a variety of areas,” Alexander says. “I think there is a need for a lot of progress.” “We’re part of the community.” -Darryl Alexander 29
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