St. Louis’ infant mortality crisis is not a problem that can be solved simply by analyzing the numbers or reading the research. That is why FLOURISH St. Louis pursued a series of community listening sessions to educate our community about the problem and to gain a better understanding of obstacles and opportunities for change to reduce premature birth and infant mortality in our region.
More than 125 moms, dads, grandparents and community members attended our sessions to share their voice, insights and hopes for a healthier future for St. Louis’ babies.
FLOURISH would like to thank our partners who hosted these sessions and supported our efforts to capture a diverse representation of voices.
- Mathews-Dickey’s Girls and Boys Club
- Raising St. Louis
- Louis Crisis Nursery
- Queen of Peace
- Kingdom House
- Parents As Teachers
- Beyond Housing
- Normandy School District
We also hosted a community listening session that was open to the general public, allowing us to capture ideas and insights from additional participants.
During the workshops, these major themes emerged:
- The loss of a baby has devastating long-term impacts on the parents and the community in which they live.
- Our community is not aware of our infant mortality crisis because it is a highly emotional and difficult topic to discuss.
- Families need help navigating the complex health system and continue to improve their ability to access health services.
- There are issues that impact health beyond health care.
- Our community needs greater coordination among agencies, systems and providers.
- Families need to be connected with support networks and resources to address the isolation they feel.
The concerns and proposed solutions offered by families and community members reinforced the research and data we’ve seen: Infant mortality is a multifaceted and complex problem that has no one solution. We desperately need better collaboration across social service agencies, businesses, health care providers and local government to improve the lives of St. Louis families.
The findings from our community listening sessions were shared with the FLOURISH St. Louis Cabinet to help inform their work in identifying the next best steps to make St. Louis a place where babies thrive and families flourish.
Community insights and feedback are critical to the work of FLOURISH St. Louis. So, we will continue to hold community listening sessions throughout the lifespan of the initiative.
To read the full Community Listening Report, click here.
