Transportation
How Columbus Is Using Transit to Reduce Infant Mortality
The city is hoping a new BRT line and smarter technology can help families access crucial services.
For every 1,000 babies born in the U.S., about six die before they turn one. In South Linden, a poor, predominantly black neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, that number is close to 24.
That’s a staggering rate of children never reaching their first birthdays. Premature births and low birth weights are the leading culprits, according to a 2014 report by the Greater Columbus Infant Mortality Task Force. Babies sleeping unsafely is another common cause of death.