High overall infant mortality rates (IMRs) and racial disparities in IMR have persisted over time in Franklin County, Ohio compared with the rest of the nation. For a decade, collaborative approaches have been used to meet the needs of the community, focusing on the groups with the highest IMR. This collaborative approach has served as a model within the county and demonstrates how community partners can come together to address issues that significantly impact the health and well-being of children. In 2020, Nationwide Children's Hospital implemented the Pediatric Vital Sign initiative, which identifies 8 metrics of child health and well-being for all children in Franklin County (Columbus, Ohio) to target for improvement over a 10-year period. One of the 8 metrics seeks to reduce overall IMR to 5.9 deaths per 1000 live births and decrease racial disparities by 50% by 2030. Here, we detail the collaborative efforts over the last 10 years in Franklin County, Ohio to reduce infant deaths and the disparity. Efforts primarily focused on 3 areas of intervention: (1) eliminating preventable sleep-related deaths, (2) reducing the number of premature births, and (3) connecting birthing people with the needed resources via care coordination programs and home visiting initiatives.
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