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GUESTS: Gina Wood, Deputy Director of the Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Ron David, M.D.Co-chair, National Commission on Infant Mortality

According to a recently released report, black infant mortality rates in the United States are more than twice the number suffered by white populations. Authored by a commission sponsored by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies’ Health Policy Institute, the report calls the inequality a “new civil rights issue.” The series of studies from the Joint Center entitled “The Courage to Love” examine breastfeeding, maternal nutrition as well as stress, race and social support issues in seeking to understand the disparities. The stress of racism is implicated as an important factor as black women are less likely to have access health insurance in addition to being more likely to live under the federal poverty line. The commission, comprising of medical professionals and academics, concludes its research by calling for new approaches in policy and significant changes in order to address the disparities in infant mortality rates.

For more information, visit www.jointcenter.org/