Why we need new policies and not just new programs

September is Infant Mortality Awareness Month. Throughout the month, our Executive Director, will be highlighting some of the changes coming under Cradle Cincinnati’s new strategic plan. When faced with large and entrenched societal problems, many of us have the instinct to look for programmatic solutions. When we see homelessness, we want to open a shelter. When we see hunger, we want to expand a food pantry. To be clear, these are often necessary parts of the solution. But we also need to ask what is leading to these problems in the first place. Frequently, the answer is a rule, law, or policy that is preventing people from succeeding. As we seek to invest in homeless shelters, we should also be asking if there are thoughtful rule changes that might prevent evictions in the first place. Only when we learn to ask the right questions and look to the right sources, will we begin to see change.This is true for preventing infant mortality as well. At Cradle Cincinnati, we’re getting serious about policy change. This summer, we launched a new policy committee chaired by Cincinnati Councilmember Amy Murray that is looking at what rule and law changes might help to lower infant deaths. This is a complex question, but we know that health outcomes can be dramatically impacted by policy and we are committed to looking for new solutions. To ensure we have a true impact, we are looking at macro and micro level change with the understanding that local policy and statewide policy must both be a part of the solution.For example, there has been a lot of research that shows that parental leave policies can impact child health and even birth outcomes. One theory is that the increased stress of not knowing when you will be able to return to paid work or the worry of going back too soon can play a role in preterm birth. This issue can often have the largest impact on low-wage earners who have less generous and less flexible leave. How might we advocate for reasonable changes that will make healthy families the priority? And how might we celebrate organizations that are leading the way on this issue?Like all of our work, it will take a village to make the kind of change we need to see here. Please join us. If you’d like to get involved in our policy work, please connect with michael.moroski@cchmc.org.