COLUMBIA, S.C. — New data shows the infant mortality rate in South Carolina dipped, while the nation saw an increase.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there was a 7% drop in infant deaths from 2021 to 2022, which is the most recent number.
While that may sound encouraging, the state is still 12th nationally in infant deaths, and experts say much work needs to be done to improve the situation.
Maternal and Child Health Project Leader at USC's Institute for Families in Society, Sarah Gareau, said while she's grateful for the decrease, it's extremely minor.
“20 counties, or 43%, of the state that is either a desert or in the highest level of maternal vulnerability," Gareau said. "And when we look at access to care, in the last decade, we have lost 12 labor and delivery units.”
Areas with a lack of good health care access, referred to as deserts, have few resources. When they do find a doctor, it's often one who lacks expertise.
“More moms don't have a reliable prenatal care provider because hospital systems are often now related to outpatient practices," Gareau explained. "More moms are going to have births in emergency departments or rural health clinics, where providers may not be fully trained or be able to handle those severe crises that might occur.”
Helping with barriers to care, the South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative is relaunching efforts later this week trying to further decrease infant mortality and help mothers through community and hospital interventions.
It's similar to an effort in 2021 in which providers came together to look at how postpartum care can be a preventative measure to infant mortality since many deaths happen within the first year of a child's life, according to Gareau.
"We knew we had pretty low rates of women needing their postpartum visit. That committee and task force called the SC Postpartum Learning Collaborative works together with the state Medicaid agency to extend access to Medicaid benefits for the first year after having a baby. So we are hopefully able to improve her health and get needed health care for the baby,” Gareau said.
Therefore, although the decrease is not as significant as she would like, there is something to be hopeful for in South Carolina come 2023.
Gareau said her best advice for mothers is to not ignore abnormal or painful symptoms. Whether the baby stops kicking or something feels abnormal during pregnancy, try as best you can to meet with a health care provider to check on the infant's health.