Since 2013, the bi3 Fund has been focused on fueling efforts to reduce infant mortality. Today, our community is making history.
As you will read in Cradle Cincinnati’s 2023 Annual Report, Hamilton County went from having one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country to an infant mortality rate that is now on par with the national average.
bi3 is on a mission to reduce health disparities and we celebrate the fact that Hamilton County has reached a single-digit Black Infant Mortality rate for the first time on record. The report also showed that while Hamilton County had a quicker decline in Black infant mortality rates than the national average, Black families were still 2.5 times more likely to experience infant loss than White families.
I want to thank my friend Dr. Meredith Shockley-Smith and the entire Cradle Cincinnati/Queens Village team, past and present, for courageously empowering and amplifying the voices and experiences of Black women. I also want to recognize our local healthcare systems, community leaders, nonprofits, funders, and doula partners’ continued support of this collective effort. When we improve systems for those experiencing disparities, we all benefit.
Jill Miller
President & CEO, bi3
bi3 News + Partner Updates
Cradle Cincinnati amplifies its work to national audiences
In June, bi3-fueled Queens Village, an initiative of Cradle Cincinnati, hosted its second annual national summit. Leaders from 12 chapters located across the country gathered to engage in insightful discussions and build meaningful connections with community members, funders and partners. Cohort members learned how to build Queens Villages in their communities and address Black infant mortality from the ground up.
Cradle Cincinnati also presented the Mama Certified initiative at the March of Dimes’ 2024 Mom and Baby Action Network Summit in Chicago, which brought together community partners, funders, philanthropists, and March of Dimes members and mission staff to learn, network, celebrate, be inspired, commit, and take action to advance equity in maternal and infant health.
bi3 sponsors Birth Justice and Equity Funders Summit
The bi3 Fund also sponsored, helped coordinate and presented at the 2024 Birth Equity Funders Summit. The Summit, designed exclusively for funders, provided comprehensive strategies, tools, and deep learning opportunities, all to advance equitable birth outcomes. The bi3 team joined two other funders sharing their work building birth worker mutual aid funds, representing a more holistic approach to supporting those driving change on the ground.
Birth equity work featured in local news outlets
Several bi3 Fund partners have been featured in local news outlets for their work and progress in addressing birth equity through bi3-fueled initiatives. The Cincinnati Enquirer shared two stories on Cradle Cincinnati, one highlighting the Queens Village and Mama Certified programs and another detailing Hamilton County’s lowest infant mortality rates in 25 years due to collaborative efforts.
Local 12’s Liz Bonis also hosted bi3’s Jill Miller and The Mothership Institute’s Monica Thomas Cooper to share more about work happening to build and strengthen the doula community in our region. Watch starting at 1:01:30.
For more updates on the work of bi3 and our funded partners, be sure to follow us on social media!
