MSDH hold community town hall in West Point
WEST POINT, Miss., (WCBI) The rise in the rate of infant mortality has caused the Mississippi State Department of Health to declare a public health emergency.
That has the department working with residents, elected officials, and community leaders to find solutions.
With maternal and infant mortality reaching a ten-year high, the Mississippi Department of Health is looking for input on what can be done to prevent these deaths.
That’s the question Dr. Ashley Hollins, Assistant Director of the Northeast Mississippi Health Start and Epidemiology with the Mississippi Department of Health asked those in attendance at the Boys and Girls Club in West Point.
“And what the health department wants to do is mitigate those issues. We know that they’re happening and so we’re asking the communities what they see from their point of view. Because the reality is that we at the state level don’t know specifically everything going on in each community,” Hollins said.
Some of the reasons listed here were lack of transportation, lack of education, and not receiving proper care during the first trimester. State Senator Angela Turner-Ford says she learned a lot she plans to take back with to discuss with her fellow legislators.
“We’re still deciding the state department of health’s budget. And so, if resources are critical, which is what I’ve heard this morning, why not try to make sure the state department of health is funded those resources to impact the community to decrease infant deaths and to promote maternal health,” Turner-Ford said.
There was a discussion about available resources and the lack thereof and how to push the information about those resources out to the public.
Hollins says local news is important, but they need more ways to get the word out. Ron Thornton, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the Golden Triangle said that’s the reason they hold events such as this one. She says that in 2024, Mississippi’s infant death rate was 9.7 per 1,000 live births, the highest its been in 10 years.
“It’s very important for the citizens of Clay County and West Point to get the information they need, maybe families that have upcoming planned pregnancies or whatever the case may be. Its always great to have the information provided as a resource so that the community understands the access to that information and do what they need to do in order to have safe deliveries,” Thornton said.
