In another year, another 1,700 women and children were saved, and no one knows how many lives were saved.
Last week, the Navajo County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program announced a slow, steady effort to address the medical tragedy of avoidable deaths of mothers, infants, and toddlers in the world’s richest nation. , reported on its ongoing efforts.
Maternal and infant mortality rates in the United States are among the highest in the developed world, more than double those of other developed nations. This percentage he more than doubled between 1987 and 2017. High mortality is largely due to lack of antenatal care, lack of medical insurance, high child poverty rates, and other preventable causes, including declining breastfeeding rates.
Apache County has the highest rate of severe maternal illness in the state, and Navajo County ranks third.
Non-reservation counties in Navajo and Apache Counties also have the highest rates of premature, low birth weight babies in the state and lack prenatal care.
Navajo County’s team of nurses and health educators are working diligently every day to reduce these harsh tallies by ensuring women receive the care they need before, during and after childbirth. , WIC Director Ivy McCullough reported to the Supervisory Board at its last meeting.
This year, the program served 1,000 children under the age of five, 330 pregnant women, and 330 infants each month. This is a significant increase from her 1,570 in 2022. The program relies primarily on county-administered state and federal grants.
“I appreciate the current staffing levels,” McCullough told the supervisor.
The WIC team is always looking to connect with families of infants as well as pregnant women. But given high child poverty rates, low rates of prenatal care and lack of support for children, this is difficult.
“About 12% of these households experience food insecurity,” McCullough said. “In many cases, we change the eating patterns of the whole family. Research shows that for every $1 he spends on WIC, he avoids $2.48 in medical bills.”
The program hopes to offer some innovative new approaches over the next year.
To get started, we’re giving program families $30 coupons to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at farmers markets in Show Low, Snowflake, Taylor and Winslow.
In addition, we plan to hold baby showers for expectant mothers. This provides an opportunity to work with families and provide important gifts such as breast pumps.
Supervisor Jason Whiting loved these ideas. “I really like the idea of a farmers market and the interactive learning that happens at baby showers. It really amazes me what people don’t understand, so I really appreciate what you’re doing.”
Partial care, inconsistent coverage is a problem
Part of this problem stems from a fragmented and inconsistent healthcare system. This has led to many people in need of care most rushing to find coverage or qualify for programs that can help.
About 40% of families with children in the White Mountains earn below the poverty line of 130%, according to the 2020 First Things First Women, Infant and Child Conditions report. The median income for families with children in Navajo County is about $46,000, compared to $63,000 statewide and $71,000 nationally.
But that figure overshadows the real victims of poverty and the resulting lack of healthcare: families led by single mothers. Their median household income is just $14,400, making up 20% of households. Grandparents caring for children make up 14% of her family and single fathers make up another 10%. Now only 70% of her family has two parents, including stepparents.
As a result of poverty, fragmented health systems and lack of public education, many mothers and infants do not receive even the most important and cost-effective care such as prenatal care.
A study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine concluded that providing prenatal care to teenagers could save about $3,000 per person in health care costs for low birth weight babies alone. attached.
Another study found that women who did not receive prenatal care were three times more likely to have low birth weight babies. This analysis included her 7,000 births in Texas and compared results with and without prenatal care after adjusting for other factors. Providing prenatal care saved her $1,000 per woman in hospital costs alone.
Low birth weight babies are 40 times more likely to die and those who survive face greater risk of other medical problems.
Yet a surprising percentage of mothers receive little or no prenatal care.
The 2020 Annual Report on Child Health, published by First Things First, has compiled stunning statistics on prenatal care, maternal health, and child health in the Navajo Apache region. This includes most of the non-reservations in Apache and Navajo counties, but Winslow was placed in a separate area for reporting purposes.
Studies on Navajo and Hopi reservations suggest that maternal mortality, low birth weight, food insecurity, child poverty, and other risk factors are much higher in non-reservation areas of the county. I’m here.
The figures show that in the White Mountains region, 35% of the 859 mothers who gave birth in 2017 had late or infrequent prenatal care.
As a result of that deficiency in part, 9% of babies were born with low birth weight and 8% were born prematurely. About 10% were admitted to the intensive care unit. Approximately 2% of mothers were younger than her 18 years and 7% were younger than 20 years.
Infant mortality in the first year of life in Navajo County was nearly twice the statewide average.
Approximately 57% of births in the White Mountains were paid for by the Arizona Health Care Cost Control (AHCCCS) system due to low family incomes. Indian health services paid 1% and people paid out-of-pocket in 6% of cases. The rest was covered by private medical insurance.
The United States remains the only developed country without universal health insurance, which contributes to the problem. In the White Mountains, her 13% of people, including her 8% of children under the age of 5, do not have health insurance.
This problem persists long after birth.
For example, breastfeeding has many benefits for infants. Doctors say that whenever possible, women should rely entirely on breastfeeding for at least six months after the baby’s birth. Breastfeeding is not only less expensive, but it significantly reduces the risk of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes and sudden infant death syndrome. Breastfed babies are also less likely to get ear infections and stomach bugs, according to the Federal Center for Disease Control. Lowers risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.
However, in the White Mountains, only 8% of women breastfeed for six months. About 83% are breastfeeding.
If 90% of mothers breastfed for six months, $3.7 billion in direct and indirect child health care costs and $10 billion in health care costs related to child death would be avoided, according to the National Institutes of Health I’m assuming it can. It also saves $4 billion annually in infant formula.
In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, breastfeeding savings could provide full, universal, paid maternity leave and generate an additional $9 billion in health care savings.
