Mississippi's Rising Infant Mortality Rate

State's Rate Rose Nearly 18 Percent Between 2004 And 2005

(CBS)  After years of decline, infant mortality is on the rise in the state of Mississippi, alarming health workers, and, as CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace reports, giving the state the dubious distinction of leading the nation in newborn deaths.

Jamekia Brown's home is next door to the cemetery in Hollandale, Mississippi. That makes it easy to visit her two children.

Her first child died at two months during an operation to correct a birth defect. Jamekia was 18 then. At 20, she lost a baby girl when she went into labor prematurely.

"When they did the emergency C-section on me, the baby came out dead," Brown said. "I just cried and questioned God."

Infant death rates have shot up in Mississippi.

In 2004 for every thousand babies born in the state, 9.7 died before their first birthday.

In 2005 the number of deaths jumped to 11.4 per thousand – an increase of nearly 18 percent. That means 65 more babies died.

In the heart of the Mississippi Delta – one of the poorest parts of the nation and overwhelmingly African American – infant death rates are even higher.

For whites in Mississippi, the 2005 infant death rate was 6.6 per thousand, around the national average.

Among blacks, the rate soared to 17 per thousand, similar to rates in Sri Lanka and Russia.

The Mississippi Department of Health told CBS News that Hurricane Katrina may have contributed to the increase in infant mortality rates, but its own Web site says no infant deaths were related to the hurricane.

Lynne Walker of the Department of Health does not have any other explanation for the sudden surge of infant deaths.

"Prematurity and low birth weight and SIDS and birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality in Mississippi," said Lynne Walker, a pediatric clinician with the Mississippi Department of Health.

But the causes of those problems have been around for years: obesity, diabetes, hypertension and low education levels in mothers who are often teenagers.

Roy Mitchell heads a Christian health advocacy group in Jackson. He says what did change two years ago in Mississippi was access to health care.

"We've implemented some Medicaid eligibility guidelines that are highly restrictive," Mitchell said.

Mississippi's Governor, Haley Barbour, was elected in 2004 after promising to slash Medicaid costs. By the end of 2005 the number of people on Medicaid in Mississippi had been cut by 19 percent.

"Another slogan is that Mississippians need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but babies don't have bootstraps," Mitchell said.

The state mandated new eligibility requirements, including annual face-to-face meetings and added paperwork.

For young women like Jemeika Brown, transportation is another problem. Now five months pregnant, she hitches rides to Medicaid appointments in Greenville, over 30 miles away.

"I had to get a ride up there, and I had to take proof that I was pregnant ... and I need an ID, and it was hard to get all that stuff," Brown said. "Last time, I think, I ain't need all this."

Jamekia's cousin Krystal Allen has a baby buried in the Hollandale cemetery too. He died at four months after a visit to the emergency room when he was having trouble breathing.

"We went home and he was crying, constant crying," Allen said. "'Bout six or seven, he died in my arms."

Krystal was 17 years old then. Now she's 20, a mother of two, and seven months into a high risk pregnancy. She hasn't yet made it to Greenville to see a doctor. She can't afford the fare. She can't even afford a tombstone for her son.

"It gonna happen one day, one day it gonna happen. He gonna have one sit there proudly with his name and everything on there," she said.

[sophias1]

Shame on CBS! Why are these young girls-unwed,on welfare-pregnant 3 & 4 times instead of in school or working? It is not the fault of Society that these kids prefer to become baby factories, leaches of society, rather than productive members of society... Yet they feel inconvienenced that they must travel to the welfare office and bring documentation. As if to say their entitlements, simply because they know how to get pregnant, somehow extend to the ridiculous-and Kelly Wallace apparently agrees since this story has played more than once on CBS.
It is a disgrace that it played even once. Education. Birth Control. Accountability: DNA testing to determine who the fathers are. Limit the amount of welfare not more profibable to keep pumping out babies than earn an honest living.

[myssi_pooh]

JackSteen1,

Before you put away your red editing pen, you may want to proofread your own submission.

It is CAPITALIZED, not CAPITALISED.

But, you're correct. "God" should have been capitalized.

Thank-you for making me smile.

Missy

[stephanienym]

Wow, at 17 this girl started getting knocked up?? And now, she has 2 kids and 1 on the way, and she is just 20 years old?? What is wrong with this picture? Maybe the state ought to cut these people off after 1 or 2 kids; at least until they have a job and can afford to have them.

One of the problem today is the lack of a family unit. Single moms having to support their kids on minimum wage, usually working 3 jobs to put food on the table, the dad is probably no where to be found, and the result is the kids just run wild.

Or, as my mom used to say, people like this are habitual hereditary welfare families. Passed down from generation to generation the skill of living off the system...Keep having those babies and the checks just keep getting bigger and bigger. It really is out of control and something needs to be done to change the system so that bigger families are not encouraged.

BTW JackSteen1 Hindu is spelled as such...and your posting sure wasn't Christian like now was it??

[beckahcook]

I am shocked by the unmerciful comments from the so-called Christians on this story. How is it that Christians care only that these poor underprivileged mothers, who probably do not have access to birth control, do not have an abortion? How about caring for the children they give birth to that you are so fervent to protect from abortion? Do we pay pro-life lip service? Is not pro-life concerned with helping those babies live? Do pro-life philosophies stop once the baby is born? We have a bunch of rich fat cats who care nothing for the poor and destitute in this country. As a Christian, I hope Hillary gets elected and then someone will do something for the poor!

[cdfoxtrot]

So much for the US having a vastly superior healthcare system to those of "socialist" European states.

[idiobiblio]

There are other industrialized countries with welfare systems that do not have such alarming rising infant mortality rates as the U.S. My point is not to defend the welfare system, but to try to nudge the debate in an honest direction. We should consider all facets of why we are falling behind many other nations in providing adequate health care. Indeed, socio-economic divisions play a huge part and personal responsibility is clearly a factor. However, we must look at issues of access to health insurance, skyrocketing costs of medical procedures and pharmaceuticals, regulatory inefficiencies and inequities, lack of centralized communication between health care providers, and a general lack of public education on health care issues vs. an increasingly complex medical system.

On a side note, kindness is good for you. I wish good to you all.

[jolsonbear]

Anyone in this country who has children lives on welfare. It's called tax deduction. It is the reason that some families with children actually get a tax refund that is larger than the amount that was actually withheld from their income. People with kids pay less taxes but rely on the tax money that others pay to provide public education. The solution would be that every parent should be required to pay an additional 2% income tax for each child they have---rather than getting rewarded with a larger tax refund or welfare check. Having the ability to produce children does make it a right; rather, it is a responsibilty. Too often people who have kids (from the very poor to the very rich) act as though, just because they can do it, it is somehting for which they should be compensated.

[lisa146]

I agree with BeckahCook. And it's so disappointing to read how many of these comments are so cruel and unforgiving. And these are the supposed Christians. Especially the one who said "at 17 this girl started getting knocked up". I guess that person never made a mistake or if they did, no one was uncharitable to them. And the ones who criticize others' grammar just bore me.

[bellal-2009]

Something is missing in the education of girls when they don't realize that without access to medical care and transportation their pregnancies are at risk. How do they think they can care for even one child much less two or three without money. Something is missing in the equation. why aren't the social service agencies helping spell out how our society works, find a partner, get married, work toward financial security then have a baby.

[bellal-2009]

Where is the leadership in the black community if this is an overwhelmingly black problem. Where's all the dads.

[bellal-2009]

It is not the fault of Society that these kids prefer to become baby factories, leaches of society, rather than productive members of society... Posted by SophiaS1 at 08:49 PM : Jun 02, 2007


Yeah, how did this happen. They are clueless that there is a personal financial responsibility. I've waited for years to hear the black community address this problem and it never happens. It's like waiting for the Muslim community to denounce radical Islam.

[mgpm-2009]

Propelling sounds very interesting. Congratulations on being able to break out of your past and be able to define your own self.

These women seem to be undereducated. But just because they are undereducated it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to have a healthy baby.

Culturally, they do need a leader who will help them to realize that families need to be intact to work better. Babies should be spaced for the health of the children and the mother, and for fhe financial health of the family.

[bb19631]

whats wrong with public health agency? public health nurses could make trips out to the area, to make house calls on these moms. prenatal visits are a must to have healthy pregrancies and healthy babies. EDUCATION IS A GIVEN FACT.

[tcoleman12]

For the sake of Bella and Sophia, this issue has been addressed by some in the black community. Bill Cosby and others have spoken out concerning the education and the attitudes of todays young black kids and have been chastised for doing so.

Cosby says, not in his words, that it is cooler to be a pimp or a player than a poet. He has said that there are far too many single parent homes in the black community and the cycle needs to stop.

Where is his back-up? Where is Jesse, Sharpton,the "leaders" in the black community to validate and fight the fight with him?

TC

[hedonist3]

And the ones who criticize others' grammar just bore me. Posted by Lisa146

Poor grammar denotes a lack of education -- exactly the problem with the children having babies (and so many!) in this article. Such blatant evidence of a lack of education, in this case poor grammar, darned well better bother you. In fact, when you consider the magnitude of it on message boards, it's downright frightening.

Back to the issue at hand, the lack of education goes back for generations. Breaking that cycle takes money -- tax dollars. People so poorly educated don't contribute tax dollars. And, the fact of the matter is that Mississippi has more than its fair share of poor.

This is just one more problem in a world of multiple problems. It might not be such a bad place to leave after all, when it's time.

[hedonist3]

If those i.d.iots Sharpton and Jesse J. put 1/4 of the energy into helping the black (I'm so sick of "African American" I have WHITE friends form Africa so let it die) community get educated and stop being baby factories then maybe something could happen. -- MyOpinion1

Well, he// yeah!! I cannot, for the life of me, understand why that isn't evident to everyone. Sharpton and Jackson strip from blacks the very things that would lift them up -- pride in accomplishment and a belief that they are not victims. Yes, their forefathers were, but they - here, now - are not.

[irishmail42]

National Health Care, anyone in Mississippi interested?

[maedean]

I am so sick of hearing the poor black people. Do they even try and get a job to help there self out. Oh no they just sit around and cry how rough they have it because they are black. Then they want to be called African Americans. Since when is Africa in America ??? If they are Americans then be one. Get a job like the white people do. We get no medical paid for and no one feels sorry for us !!!!! No one takes time to put us on TV unless we say something wrong. Then look out there is Jessie and Sharpton to cry how bad they have it.

[zorlacskates]

so, bushies, mississippi is a red state, and what's the solution? obviously, state assistance isn't acceptable and anything like universal healthcare gets us branded as socialists and sent straight to hell. so, do the christian thing and look out for your own. stop calling them "lazy" and conspicuously pointing out race rather than offering understanding. step us, bushies, because you can't have it both ways. and now you're whining for sharpton or jesse to step in? 7pesos, you out there?

[seven-pesos]

the south has a dark and sordid history.

full of war, insurrection, slavery, assasination, lynching, rebellion, arrogance, death and destruction.

bush is just the latest southerner to do the worst to america.

jefferson davis,
johnson,
bush,

all war making, slave state losers.

war, hate, arrogance, republican snakes, ignorant christian creeps...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[hedonist3]

seven-pesos - You are such a dumb@ss.

[studentdo10]

I think the Jessie, Bushie, and welfare talk has us forgetting about the babies. They're dying. This article should stir compassion and a lot less judgment.

Every group of people is capable of abusing themselves or those around them. If you smoke, and get cancer and die or give your children birth defects or asthma via second hand smoke, if you drink your liver to death, if you fad diet your kidney's into failure, if you drink to much soda and eat too many french fries and clog your arteries, if you have a lot of children when young, if you don't exercise and get heart disease... all of these are ways people make mistakes and as human being we should understand that human beings struggle with things. This article makes me think, what can we do to help these women be more educated about their health and their children's health, what is it that they seek when they lay with a man and how do we show them there is more to life, what kinda of programs should we set up for them so that they can live healthier lives and have healthier families. these political statements are excuses we use to do nothing for humanity.

It disturbs me that babies are dying and all people want to do is talk about black v. african american and al sharpton. where is the compassion?

[tosanity]

This is awesome; people are taking the time to care about the negativites people face and are showing love as an action instead of just saying "what a shame" or fueling/masking their own ignorance with anger. These are the teachings of Jesus in action. Praise God!
Note to the judgemental person who posted earlier re: the term "African American", I agree, it's an oxymoron, but so is "Italian American", "Chinese American" etc. based on the theory you present. Anyway, you will be in my prayers forever. Somehow, though, I think you'll take that as a negative comment; for now at least. I'm claiming you for the kingdom, you will learn compassion, you will understand truth. You will experience love. Praise God.

[studentdo10]

babies are dying this is cause for compassion and understanding not judgment and debate over al sharpton's role or abortions, or whether we should call people african american's or black.

criticism without a plan is both worthless and inefficient. this article makes me think about going into these communities and assessing their levels of education their motivations their outlooks on life their resources. i wonder what motivates these women to have children so young and how they view their lives and futures. i think they deserve compassion just like everyone who might not live the healthiest life for whatever reason (things that are relitivly common to many ethnic groups like can't afford a lot of fruits and veggies especially quality ones, historically don't eat certain foods, don't exercise, smoke a lot and around others, chew tobacco, drink too much ( a six pack or its equivelent in one setting is considered binge drinking), drink too much soda, eat too much mcdonalds, lay out in the sun). I dont think people who would rather risk skin cancer than not get a tan deserve cancer, i think that whenever i see people out there oiling up I'm going to let them know that they might suffer in the long run and try to intervene in the name of health and compassion.

no matter what political system we have (socialist or staunch republican) helping your fellow human beings is always a way to make our communities better.

[tosanity]

John 15:18
"If the world hates you, keep in min that it hated me first."

[tosanity]

studentDO10, your thoughts are encouraging and very much on point of the issues at hand. I caught the tail end of the show and heard of the Delta's Parent Child Ministry, that seems to be focused on educating these women; even if you are not in complete agreement with the religious beliefs of the organization, i'm sure they'd appreciate any physical help that could be offered, such as the things you mentioned. I'm not finding much (besides this article) on them via google, but I'm going to do some more research and I'll post what I find here as far as resources to help. Good night:-)

[dwgwright]

While I can empathize with new mothers that do not have a spousel support by their side... I have to ask myself, is America changing to colonial times where women were little girls were having babies! I'm outraged that a seventh grader is having kids. That her mother did the same thing years earlier! Is this the "norm" for children now a days? Because the mother, (now grandmother) did it and the daughter (now the mother) is doing it does it make it right? Teaching children how to obtain "welfare" is wrong! What part do the parents take in all of this? Are they proud that this is perpetuating? Clearly I come from a different background! I know this is news worthy. In my opinion, instead of showing how all these single women come to one spot to learn how to be mothers when they are clearly only children themselves, is wrong. Why not show this segment with another segment of other mothers, single, struggling to raise their children on welfare! Showing people how to raise their children on welfare, a system that is funded by every tax payer in the nation, is wrong!

[tosanity]

Ok, for anyone interested in being a part of the solution here are a couple of resources you may wish to begin with: carychristiancenter.org and childrenshealthfund.org for volunteer opportunities and more.

Note to MyOpinion1: I apologize for directing a statement towards you(re: you being added to my prayer list) that I knew would only offend you. Exemplifying the teachings of Christ is about action; telling you that which I knew would only ruffle your feathers not only stemmed mainly from ego, but was also a distraction from what's important: indiscriminate compassion (in this case for the dying children). For that I was wrong. I praise God for correcting me on this.

[hermit22]

Krystal, age 17, baby dies.
2 more babies,
age 20 4th baby is on the way.

she can't afford the fare to the doctor....i know that feeling....

the ALLEY CAT who knocks her up must have fare to get to her house....

the county needs to set a ALLEY CAT trap right outside this girls door! SNAP. caught! end of this thoughtless baby manufacturing. (are there several alley cats? get out more traps.)

it is a cRIME for men to have babies and not care for them. worse than robbing a bank. cage those ALLEY CATS.

[hermit22]

Women of Faith Study Bible, pub. zondervan, page 469 tells of RAHAB the harlot, prostitute,....God got a hold of her life, shaped her up, "and she lives among the Israelites to this day". Joshua 6:25

THERE IS HOPE!

with DNA, that God invented eons ago, He would KNOW who her decendants are. I get such a charge out of this! "God is keeping His eye on YOU!" LOL isn't that a winner!?

ps. a SEVENTH GRADER can't "work" in modern america. (other CBS report on Mississippi story.) how OLD is the 'father'? WHERE is HE?
like he doesn't even exist when people scream about "welfare MOTHERS". WHERE IS THE FATHER? did GRANDFATHER do the same?

[frommsdelta]

I am a young woman (with no children) from the Mississippi Delta. The CBS story brought me to tears. I grew up in a small town not far from Hollandale and I know what these people are experiencing. My last visit home was about 10 years ago. But I see that people are still living in proverty. Unless you are from the MS Delta, you don't know what it's like there.

Let me tell you, there are very, very few jobs in this area, but some people are finding employment in the casinos in Tunica. It is an economically depressed area, with mostly cotton field and catfish farms. Even though African Americans are the majority in the area, they control nothing. This is how it is and this is how it has always been.

The education system (especially secondary education) in the area is a joke. Regular healthcare is hard to come by even for working folks. My mother couldn't afford regular health screening & we didn't have regular doctor's visits or dental care. It just wasn't possible based on her income. Some people are the "working poor".

I say thank you CBS for bringing this to the attention of the American people. Maybe one day my home state will step up to the plate and give people the opportunities they need to care for themselves and "pull themselves up by there bootstraps". Most people only need a little help because none of us have gotten to where we are without the help of others.