Infant Mortality
Decreasing Infant Deaths, Improving Babies’ Health
By working together with hospitals, nonprofit organizations and state and local agencies, CelebrateOne, Columbus’ collective impact initiative, plans to reduce the infant mortality rate and cut the racial health disparity gap.
Babies born too soon or too small, unsafe sleep practices, smoking, birth defects and social and economic conditions are leading causes of infant mortality.
Challenges
- Every week, nearly three babies die before their first birthday in Franklin County.
- In 2025, 102 Franklin County infants died before their first birthday resulting in an infant mortality rate of 5.9 per 1,000 live births.
- In 2024, 128 Franklin County infants died before their first birthday resulting in an infant mortality rate of 7.4 per 1,000 live births.
- In 2023, 126 Franklin County infants died before their first birthday resulting in an infant mortality rate of 7.4 per 1,000 live births.
- In 2025, 14 Franklin County infant deaths were related to sleeping or the sleep environment.
- In 2024, 20 Franklin County infant deaths were related to sleeping or the sleep environment, as compared to 20 in 2023.
- In 2025, Non-Hispanic, Black infants were 3.5 times more likely to die than Non-Hispanic, White infants.
- In 2024, Non-Hispanic, Black infants accounted for 42% of infant death in Franklin County, but only 30% of births.
- In 2024, Non-Hispanic, Black infants were 2.2 times more likely to die than Non-Hispanic, White infants.
- In 2023, Non-Hispanic, Black infants were 2.6 times more likely to die than Non-Hispanic, White infants, up from 2.4 in 2022.
- In 2025, 11% of babies were born prematurely (<37 weeks gestation).
- In 2024, 11.3% of babies were born prematurely (<37 weeks gestation), as compared to 10.6% in 2023.
Initiatives
- Franklin County hospital front-line staff are making sure every family receives consistent, life-saving guidance on the ABCs of safe sleep before leaving the hospital: Alone, on their Back in a Crib.
- Asking about a crib in the home – and directing to resources for free or low-cost options if there is no crib for the baby.
- Showing the safe sleep educational video produced by CelebrateOne, central Ohio’s public/private initiative to reduce infant mortality. The video highlights the elements of a safe home sleep environment, the importance of not smoking in the house and tips for soothing a crying baby.
- Providing an educational door-hanger that parents and caregivers can reference to reinforce safe sleep practices at home.
- Supplying a sleep sack for infants to wear when sleeping during the colder winter months.
- Legal needs: Assessing if pregnant women have legal issues, such as evictions, that can affect health outcomes and referring them to Columbus Legal Aid Society.
- Opiate prescriptions: Reducing the amount of opiates prescribed to women undergoing a cesarean section.
Progress
- In the first quarter of 2026, 89% of parents reported they viewed an educational video before being discharged from a maternity unity, as compared to 94% in 2025 and 91% in 2024. The video provides education on safe sleep, breastfeeding and in-home tobacco use.
- From January – April 2026, Franklin County hospitals referred 91 pregnant clients to the Southeast and Columbus Legal Aid Society as compared to 361 total in 2025, 490 in 2024 and 595 in 2023.