Do you have a minute or two to help us save the lives of babies and children?
bi3 has invested over $20 million to improve maternal and infant health in Hamilton County. Our community went from having one of the worst infant mortality rates in the state and country to a record low infant mortality rate of 5.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births—a rate now lower than the national average. Now, bi3 is using its voice to advocate for change. Advocacy is one of the most powerful and too often underused tools in philanthropy.
While Ohio’s infant mortality rate continues to exceed the national average, our state has experienced the first statistically significant drop in years. This progress reflects the power of sustained, evidence-based investment and reinforces why now is the time to double down on what works, not walk away from it.
Governor DeWine’s executive budget proposal rightly prioritizes babies and children by expanding evidence-based home visiting and infant vitality efforts, ensuring access to doula services, and protecting continuous health coverage for children from birth to three. Each of these strategies addresses a critical piece of Ohio’s maternal and infant health crisis.
Yet, the current state budget cuts funding to each of these strategies.
In recent weeks, I’ve provided testimony before both the Senate Medicaid Committee and the Senate Health Committee, and personally walked the halls in Columbus, delivering that message to members of the Finance Committee. However, the collective voice is more powerful than one.
Please take a minute or two to urge your Senators to restore the Governor’s critical investments in maternal and infant health. Thanks to our friends at Groundwork Ohio, you can take action today!
The stakes are too high to remain silent. Our youngest Ohioans cannot speak for themselves. A minute of your time can help save the lives of babies and children.
Jill Miller
President & CEO, bi3
bi3 Updates
Celebrating TriHealth’s School-to-Work graduates
Congratulations to the 29 Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) seniors who graduated from TriHealth’s School to Work (STW) program this year!
This innovative program—a collaboration between TriHealth and CPS—gives high school juniors and seniors hands-on healthcare experience by rotating through various departments and clinical settings at Good Samaritan Hospital.
This year marks the largest graduating class in the program’s history. Of the 29 graduates, 24 are college-bound and plan to pursue careers in healthcare—a powerful testament to the program’s impact.
Two graduating students gave incredibly inspiring speeches at this year’s ceremony, and bi3’s Director of Community Partnerships, Jena’ Bradley, also spoke, celebrating the students’ accomplishments and the program’s continued success.
The bi3 Fund partnered with CommonSpirit Health and TriHealth to establish an endowment to ensure the STW program continues to inspire and empower students for years to come.
bi3’s Zohar Perla serves on panel bridging trust-based philanthropy and equitable data
bi3’s Director of Evaluation & Learning, Zohar Perla, shared insights from both bi3’s work and the Data for Equity Funding Collaborative during The Bridging Data Divides Summit at Washington University in St. Louis. More than 200 attendees, consisting of community providers, philanthropists, and researchers, attended the discussion. The panel explored how to use data to bring people together and share power, and how trust-based funding and fair data practices can work together to better reflect and support community needs.
Greater Cincinnati participates in Black Maternal Health Week
bi3 awarded $55,000 in funding to 11 local organizations to support events during Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) this past April. Held annually, the week focuses on amplifying Black women’s voices, perspectives, and lived experiences to improve and advance Black maternal health. More than 400 women attended events across the region.
Grantee Spotlight
TriHealth Behavioral Health
In 2022, bi3 invested $9 million to fuel TriHealth’s integration of Behavioral Health services into pediatric and adult primary care locations, as well as other specialty areas like obstetrics and oncology. This best-practice care model supports patients, families and providers with real-time, “in-the-moment” behavioral healthcare.
TriHealth’s integrated behavioral health consultant model of care is the only one in the region. Its expansion made TriHealth among the first health systems in the nation to provide patients with this comprehensive approach.
TriHealth’s progress includes:
- The establishment of two outpatient Behavioral Health specialty clinics.
- Providing same-day appointments and referrals for adults and children.
- Offering screening and assessments for multiple behavioral health conditions.
- Providing urgent safety planning for adults and children in crisis, linking to community providers such as Best Point Education & Behavioral Health
- Creation of the TriHealth Psychosocial Oncology Program, a free behavioral health service offered to all TriHealth cancer patients undergoing treatment, which helps patients navigate the emotional toll of cancer.
- As of 2024, TriHealth has served more than 7,500 patients.
For more updates on the work of bi3 and our funded partners, be sure to follow us on social media!
