Rep. Brennan Announces $2M in Funding to Expand Infant Mortality Prevention Programs Across Ohio

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan (D-Parma) today announced that the Ohio Controlling Board approved $2M in funding for the second year of a three-year expansion of the Queens Village and Cradle Cincinnati model, programs designed to combat infant mortality and support mothers and families across Ohio.

“Every Ohio child deserves the chance to celebrate their first birthday, and every mother deserves the support to thrive,” said Rep. Brennan. “This funding continues important, evidence-based work that empowers women, strengthens families, and brings communities together to save lives. It’s an investment in healthier futures for our families and our state.”

Ohio continues to face challenges with high infant mortality rates. The Cradle Cincinnati Collective Impact Model is a cross-sector network of partners working collaboratively to improve infant mortality rates and eliminate disparities in outcomes for mothers and babies. This model brings communities together to address infant mortality by transforming systems, supporting families, and elevating women’s voices.

Cradle Cincinnati will provide individualized training to four communities with the highest rates of infant mortality—Franklin, Lucas, Cuyahoga, and Montgomery counties—on interpreting causes of infant death. Cradle Cincinnati will also lead a collective impact workshop and provide tools to help each grantee build a tailored, community-specific collective impact model. The four grant recipients are the Hospital Council of NW Ohio (Lucas County), Celebrate One (Franklin County), Nationwide (Montgomery County), and First Year CLE (Cuyahoga County).

Queens Village is a nationally recognized model for engaging Black women in maternal and child health efforts. It creates an infrastructure for community leaders to serve as an advisory to local maternal and child health programs. This strategy will provide training, skill-building, and technical assistance in eight Maternal and Infant Vitality Initiative communities with the greatest differences in birth outcomes: Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Montgomery, and Summit counties.

“This is about giving every Ohio family a fair start,” added Rep. Brennan. “By expanding programs like Cradle Cincinnati and Queens Village, we are listening to mothers, addressing disparities, and working together to build stronger, healthier communities.”