State Sen. Jamaal Bowman (S.D. 36) joined local parents in his district on Oct. 14, for an event highlighting Infant Mortality Awareness which he said remains a serious issue locally. Bailey’s district broadly includes some or all of the north Bronx neighborhoods of Eastchester, Wakefield, Baychester, Pelham Gardens, Woodlawn, Co-Op City, Williamsbridge, Olinville, and Allerton, as well as Mount Vernon in Westchester County.

 

“Every year, I have the honor of joining Bronx Healthy Start Partnership for their Infant Mortality Awareness event, where we provide resources, support, and raise awareness for recent and expecting parents,” the senator said.

 

According to a report published by the National Institutes of Health entitled, “Infant Mortality in the United States, 1915-2017: Large Social Inequalities have Persisted for Over a Century, the Black/White disparity in mortality from perinatal conditions increased consistently from 1970 through the early 1990s, but decreased slightly between 1993 and 2016. Perinatal refers to the time, usually a number of weeks, immediately before and after birth.

 

The report found that “compared to White infants, Black infants had two times higher mortality from perinatal conditions in 1970, but a 2.6 times higher risk in 2016.” It also found that although infant mortality from birth defects showed a downward trend for both White and Black infants, the pace of mortality decline was faster for White infants, leading to an increased racial disparity between 1970 and 2016.

 

It further found that “Black infants, whose mortality rate did not differ significantly from the White rate in 1970, had a 26% higher risk of birth defects mortality than White infants in 2016.”

Additionally, infant mortality from pneumonia/influenza declined sharply for both White and Black infants from 1970 to 2016. However, the report found that in 2016, Black infants were still 3.1 times more likely to die from pneumonia/influenza than White infants. The report also found that between 1970 and 2016, mortality from unintentional injuries was more than halved for both White and Black infants. However, in 2016, “the rate for Black infants was 66.8 deaths from unintentional injuries per 100,000 live births, 2.7 times higher than the rate for White infants (24.9).”

 

“Awareness is more than just knowing, it’s the key to proactive infant care and health education,” Bailey said. “Thank you to all the organizations and partners who showed up on a cold, rainy day like today to ensure our community has access to the resources and support they deserve.”

 

Infant Mortality Awareness Month is observed annually in September. 

 

As reported, the bipartisan Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2025, which provides critical funding for community-based efforts that improve maternal and infant health, and funds more than 115 locally-based programs in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, providing case management, educational activities, and connections to food, housing, and transportation assistance, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 17.

 

The law is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11).

 

For more information on infant mortality, click here and here.