In New Jersey, pregnancy-related deaths occur in 37 of every 100,000 live births. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a maternal death as any that occurs within one year of the end of a pregnancy, no matter the outcome or duration of the pregnancy. For black mothers, the rate is reported to be four to five times higher.

Although New Jersey has the eighth lowest infant mortality rate in the United States (4.5 per 1,000 live births in 2017) and the seventh lowest black infant mortality rate (9.7 per 1,000) according to the CDC, we must remain vigilant and focused on further reducing infant mortality and eliminating the disparity that impacts black infants.

To tackle these health inequities—and so many others—we need to start at the beginning.

 http://www.southjerseybiz.net/articles/?articleid=1641