CLEVELAND — This month, Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb announced his transition committees and task forces as he inches closer to inauguration day in January.

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb has formed several committees and task forces to advise him before taking office

  • The committee focusing on health has chosen a number of local and statewide experts

  • One focus of the committee is on infant mortality

  • Jazmin Long, who has led Birthing Beautiful Communities, said she hopes to help guide Bibb on how to reduce Black infant mortality during the first 100 days of his tenure

There are 12 different teams focused on specific areas including economic development, education, environment, equity in action , health, modern City Hall, neighborhoods, open government, safety, talent, Operations Task Force and Public Safety Task Force to help Bibb make an impact right away in his first 100 days in office.

 

At Birthing Beautiful Communities, Jazmin Long is in charge. She leads a team of women as the nonprofit’s president and CEO.

“Our mission is to reduce Black infant mortality," she said. "Simple as that."

She’s grateful to have a seat at the table on Bibb’s transition team.

“And we all know the issues we have ahead of us. Poorest big city in America. The worst city in this country for Black women. One out of two of our children living in poverty. But, I want to say something very important. And I said this when I announced nearly 300 days ago, that not one mayor can solve these problems in isolation. It's gonna take a people-powered movement," said Bibb on election night, Nov. 2.

Long is part of that people-powered movement. She sits on the health committee alongside seven others including Dr. Amy Acton, Dr. Akram Boutros , Dr. Cliff Megerian, Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic , Emily Lundgard, Jean Polster and Rick Kemm.

 “We have a very diverse group of people," said Long. "We have the heads of hospital systems, we have nonprofit practitioners, we have people who are really invested in health equity in a way that leads me to believe and to truly feel that we’re going to make some systems change and if it’s not in the first 100 days, certainly in that first term.”

She has known Bibb since she moved to Cleveland nearly a decade ago.

Long told Spectrum News that the health committee has been meeting weekly for more than a month to help map out Bibb’s plan of attack in his first 100 days in office.

“I wanted to maintain the friendship while also highlighting the importance of focusing on infant mortality as one of the greatest challenges facing our community and I think he understood that even without me having to advocate for the cause," she said.

For decades, the infant mortality rate in Cuyahoga County has been one of the highest in the country. But, according to First Year Cleveland, in 2020, the county recorded its lowest infant mortality rate in 30 years. 

Despite the decline, the issue continues to disproportionately impact the Black community.

Black infants are three to five times more likely to not make it to their first birthday compared to white infants.

“Microaggressions, toxic stress, racism is what's killing our babies. And now I think we have an opportunity to really address that and make an impactful change," said Long.

Since 2014, Birthing Beautiful Communities has provided support to expecting mothers from the time they are 10 weeks pregnant until their baby’s first birthday.

The organization helps about 500 families every year in Cuyahoga and Summit counties and offers mothers prenatal and postpartum care as well as breastfeeding support and training.

Birthing Beautiful Communities recently recieved two large grants to continue to grow its work and reach. One is from the Ohio Department of Health. The $250,000 grant will be used to focus on safe sleep training and expanding the nonprofit's postpartum work. Cleveland State University gave a more than $950,000 grant to Birthing Beautiful Communities that will be used to look at how technology can be better utilized to reduce infant deaths.

 

Many of the nonprofit’s doulas and birth workers are from the neighborhoods most impacted by infant mortality.

“If our babies are not thriving and our babies are not well and our babies are not living, then that means our community is not well and we cannot be a world-class city when our community is not well," said Long.

Long believes a fresh face in the mayor’s seat who is willing to learn from other cities’ success is the best way to handle this crisis in Cleveland.

“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel," she said. "There are some cities that are doing this well. I’m hoping that there’s going to be accountability amongst the hospital systems and that there’s actually going to be some change done.”

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