CCLC August 2022 Newsletter

August 2022 Learning Collaborative Newsletter

Greetings CCLC Members,

It's been a busy summer here at Cradle Cincinnati. We released our Annual Report in June, hosted a webinar, and started our strategic planning process for the next five years! If you missed the live webinar hosted for CCLC members, the recording is available on the CCLC Online Community under the Newsletters tab.

This month, Cradle Cincinnati and Queens Village are re-launching our allyship campaign, STAND for Queens. Through this campaign, we invite allies, particularly medical professionals, to show their support for equity and reproductive justice for Black women. We are often asked how medical professionals can support the work of Queens Village. This is an opportunity to use your voice to elevate and amplify this message! We invite you to participate in this campaign. Steps for participating can be found below!

We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!

Checking the Numbers

We start each publication with currently available data related to infant mortality in Hamilton County to remind us of our shared purpose—to reduce the number of infant deaths; to reduce the infant mortality rate; and to eliminate infant mortality racial disparities. Every action item or resource that is included in our communication is meant to help us reach our goals.

For comparison: The average number of infant deaths for January-June from 2018-2021 is 45.

The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths divided by the number of live births over a specified time-period. Below is the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births for June 2021- May 2022 in Hamilton County.

Note: In adhering to data sharing guidelines from the state of Ohio regarding data sharing, the number of infant deaths for other non-Hispanic races and Hispanic of any race are too small to report on a quarterly basis. This information is included in the annual report.

Our Key Drivers

The CCLC aims to support the mission of Cradle Cincinnati in eliminating infant mortality in Hamilton County by focusing on the following drivers.

What You and Your Team Can Do:

Talk to Your Patients and Their Families

About the Importance of Safe Sleep

Talking to expecting families at each visit about the importance of safe sleep can change the outcome regarding sleep-related infant deaths. And, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that safe sleep conversations start at the beginning of pregnancy.

As prenatal providers, you are best positioned to introduce safe sleep to families and help them set their safe sleep goals.

Not sure where to start?

We offer a number of ways to introduce and support families with safe sleep. Take a look in the Safe Sleep folder in the Resource Center or the Request Materials tab on the home page to see all the resources we have to offer.

We also recommend checking out the Building on Campaigns with Conversations online training, which is a new approach to helping infant caregivers overcome barriers to safe sleep and breastfeeding.

Remember: babies sleep safest Alone, on their Backs, and in their own Cribs, Bassinets or Pack n Plays.

Available Resource: Sleep Baby, Safe and Snug

These board books are perfect to give to families expecting a new member! They allow for repetition in learning safe sleep habits and are also a fun gift for baby. Visit our online community and click the Request Materials tab to order books for your practice today!

*Also available in Spanish!

Cradle Community: Things-To-Know

As our community grows, new initiatives come forward to make every moment count towards our babies' lives. Below you will find blogs, events and inspiration we thought you might be interested in.

You can also visit our new community calendar to see all upcoming events, hosted both by Cradle Cincinnati and within the community. This calendar is updated regularly, so check back often!

STAND for Queens | August 9

Join the campaign on Tuesday, August 9:

Share the STAND for Queens graphic on your social media.

Post “I take the pledge to Stand for Queens by respecting, honoring, trusting, caring and advocating for Black women.”

Invite 5 people to take the pledge with you.

Tag @QueensVillgeCincy and use #standforqueens and #becauseweloveher

Learn more about Queens Village and the STAND campaign here.

Yoga in the Park in French Park | August 11

Namaste. Queens Village is happy to bring Yoga In The Park back to the mamas of Roselawn! Meet us at French Park for a relaxing evening with other Black women. Connect with a supportive community, manage stress, and center yourself with us. Every registered guest will receive a free yoga kit & snacks. Learn more here and please share with your clients.

Cradling Cincinnati Equity & Systems Change in Action Summit | September 22

Join Cradle Cincinnati in person on Thursday, September 22 for a day of information, solutions and hope around creating equity and systems change for birthing people and babies in Hamilton County. We’ll celebrate what we’ve learned, what we’ve done and what we are currently doing to make Cincinnati healthier for families. Registration opening soon.

New Queens Village Website

Queens Village has a new website! This is a great place to send Black patients and clients, so that they can get connected with other moms as well as the Queens Village team. Learn more here.

Poppy's Therapeutic Corner

Cradle Cincinnati is partnering with Poppy's Therapeutic Corner to offer individual and group therapy for Black men and women who have children up to 18 months of age.

Poppy's Therapeutic Corner is Black women-owned and works with Black therapists to provide help and healing in Cincinnati. Families can request services here.

CCLC Online Community

Have you joined our online community yet? This is a space exclusively for health professionals working in prenatal and postpartum care. Don't miss out on upcoming events, resources for yourself and your patients, and opportunities to connect with your colleagues across Hamilton County!

Scan the QR code or click here.

Story of Us: Jennifer Brodbeck

As part of each communication, we will have a section dedicated to highlighting a CCLC member. Each member will share their story of self – the moments that led them to where they are today and why they chose to do this work. These collective stories represent the story of us, the CCLC.

Ever since I can remember, I've been emulating strong women. As a child, it was my paternal grandmother, Nana. She showed me how to be strong and kind – and helped me see that women can do anything! I have four siblings: three sisters and a brother. Our parents were fierce advocates for equality for all.

Growing up Catholic, I dreamed of being a nurse and a nun. I wanted to share what I learned in school with the poor like Mother Theresa. I followed through with my nursing dream and spent the beginning of my nursing career on the Navajo reservation. Here, I was blessed to have strong, kind, loving women and resilient, matriarchal families enter my path.

These life experiences have provided me with so much depth.

During my time on the reservation, I was blessed to be assigned in the labor and delivery unit at Sage Memorial Hospital. I witnessed how a woman's body instinctually knows what to do in labor. Our bodies are life-giving.

I have worked at high acuity hospitals since. I understand the need for high acuity hospitals; they can be life-saving. I do appreciate my introduction into L&D through the eyes of simplicity. I have been involved in Women's Health for 30 years. Nursing has provided many possibilities in my life. I now am a nurse manager, providing supportive services to women that deliver at both Good Samaritan and Bethesda North Hospitals. In my current role, I continually evaluate our services and outcomes, creatively finding solution to meet patients where they are and improve outcomes

I enjoy traveling and enjoy the opportunity to observe how other women, in all cultures and countries, display their beauty and strength.

Jennifer Brodbeck is the OB/GYN Practice Manager at Good Samaritan Hospital

Health Equity Learning Series

Addressing health inequities is central to our efforts to reduce infant mortality. This ongoing series will highlight readings, videos and talks related to health equity and healthcare disparities.

The Raising Equity Podcast by Dr. Kira Banks is a great resource to learn about equity in the healthcare system and beyond. Episode 67: Understanding the Built Landscape for Equity (available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher) speaks to patterns in our environment that shape access. The hosts use the fence visual to see the difference between equality and equity, which can be very eye opening. Give the episode a listen and see what stands out to you!

As always,

thank you for your passion

and dedication to this movement.

CCLC Leadership Team

Dr. Elizabeth Kelly, Physician Lead and Director of Systems Strategies

Lauren Everett, Senior Program Manager

Grace Miller, Program Manager