First Year Cleveland (FYC) is a regional collaborative based in Cleveland, Ohio dedicated to reversing the infant mortality rates in Cuyahoga County and helping all babies celebrate their first birthdays. FYC was established in December 2015 by community leaders who were alarmed by the number of babies dying in Cuyahoga County. In 2015, Cuyahoga County was the second worst of 88 counties in Ohio. And among the 100 US cities with the highest number of preterm births, the City of Cleveland’s premature birth rate was the worst. The reality of the situation was stark:

  • Black moms accounted for 38% of pregnancies in Cuyahoga County, but Black babies account for 78% of infant deaths.
  • Premature births accounted for 54% of all infant deaths.
  • 65% of sleep-related infant deaths were babies who slept in an unsafe sleep location even when a crib or bassinet was available.

First Year Cleveland formed to mobilize the community through partnerships and a unified strategy to reduce infant deaths, particularly among Black and brown babies, reduce extreme prematurity, and eliminate sleep-related infant deaths.

To help reach those goals, FYC engaged Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS) to build the First Year Cleveland’s inaugural Engagement and Public Policy Roadmap in 2018.

Building the Roadmap was an extensive process based on local and national research, qualitative information gathering with local and state leaders in Infant Mortality, and ACS expertise in public policy, strategy development, facilitation, and consensus building. This process also took into account the reality of local and regional existing and dug-in relationships where various policies and programs could be better aligned to serve expectant mothers, especially those mothers of color. Starting and then advancing conversations around this alignment was a Herculean task but one that was well overdue. The roadmap and related discussions were completed within several months, motivated by the reality of what was happening on the ground in the region.

Even with the Roadmap in place, there were still specific action steps under each tactic that needs to be completed, or revisited each year. To achieve any one of the Public Policy Agenda items, FYC had to create a “three-legged stool” of support-from Legislators, Executive Office holders, and other Infant Mortality Collaboratives.

Outcomes to date:

  • Developed and began to implement a comprehensive Engagement & Public Policy Roadmap to guide this work for First Year Cleveland.
  • Deployed advocacy trainings for First Year Cleveland partners and staff.
  • Facilitated monthly touchpoints with other regional collaboratives to stay aligned on policy requests
  • Successfully advocated for the passage of HB 11 in 2019-2020 in the Ohio General Assembly, which allocated $5M towards group prenatal care expansion in Ohio.
  • Preserving Infant Mortality grants, allocated through Ohio’s Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, by the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
  • Maintain and restore relationships with administrative and legislative policymakers.
  • Create tools and advocacy materials used by First Year Cleveland and its partners in advocacy efforts
  • Developed and began to implement a comprehensive Engagement & Public Policy Roadmap to guide this work for First Year Cleveland.
  • Deployed advocacy trainings for First Year Cleveland partners and staff.
  • Facilitated monthly touchpoints with other regional collaboratives to stay aligned on policy requests
  • Successfully advocated for the passage of HB 11 in 2019-2020 in the Ohio General Assembly, which allocated $5M towards group prenatal care expansion in Ohio.
  • Preserving Infant Mortality grants, allocated through Ohio’s Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, by the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
  • Maintain and restore relationships with administrative and legislative policymakers.
  • Create tools and advocacy materials used by First Year Cleveland and its partners in advocacy efforts