Delta trails nation in report on babies
Babies born in the Mississippi Delta region are more likely to be preterm, to have low birthweights and to die than those who were born in Appalachia or the rest of the U.S., a report from the National Vital Statistics System said last week.
The Delta includes part of Arkansas, encompassing 252 counties and parishes across eight states.
According to the analysis of data from 2016-2017, Delta infant mortality is at 8.17 deaths per 1,000 births, compared to 6.82 in Appalachia and 6.57 in other U.S. regions.
About 12.37% of Delta babies were born preterm, compared with 10.75% in Appalachia and 9.78% of babies from elsewhere in the U.S.
The greatest percentage of babies who had a low birth weight was found in the Delta, at 10.75% of newborns.
That figure was at 8.87% in Appalachia and 8.14% in the remainder of the country.
Researchers found that maternal characteristics associated with poor outcomes for infants -- such as getting pregnant as a teen, being unmarried and not having a college degree -- were most common in the Delta.
In general, people in the Delta and Appalachia have worse health and more adverse outcomes compared to the rest of the country, researchers wrote.
Other Delta states, as defined in the federal law that created the Delta Regional Authority, are Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
Free dental event announced for LR
Free dental care will be available for people age 18 and over at an event in Little Rock on Friday.
Arkansas Family Dental will host its second "Dentistry from the Heart" event beginning at 7 a.m.
Services will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and include a choice of a cleaning, one filling or one extraction.
The event will take place at Arkansas Family Dental's offices on David O. Dodd Road.
Event to celebrate addiction recovery
A Little Rock event on Monday celebrates people in recovery from addiction.
Recovery Jam will happen at River Market Pavilion from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and offer free food and health screenings.
There will also be musical performances by local artists.
Workshop will aid family caregivers
A free workshop in Jacksonville on Friday is for family caregivers of people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Hosted at the Jacksonville Medical Care Clinic, the event runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is sponsored by the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Registration is required by calling (501) 985-5923.
Van Buren clinic offers obstetrics
Baptist Health has announced new obstetrics and gynecology services at a clinic in Van Buren.
Dr. Arlon Corle, who joined the hospital system last year, will offer wellness exams and prenatal and postnatal care at The Baptist Health Family and Pediatric Clinic on one day each week.
The services are now available at the Crawford County clinic.
2 U.S. lawmakers focus on abortion
Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation last week backed bills pertaining to abortion, which have been sent to committees for review.
Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., signed on as a co-sponsor of the "Support And Value Expectant Moms and Babies Act of 2019," which would prohibit the approval of new abortion drugs and investigational use exemptions for existing drugs.
It also would create new regulatory requirements, such as rules on reporting about adverse events, for abortion drugs currently in use.
Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., last Tuesday joined Crawford as a co-sponsor of the "Second Chance at Life Act of 2019," which would require that information about reversing a chemical abortion be given to women seeking the procedure.
In June, the American Medical Association and other plaintiffs sued North Dakota regarding a similar state law.
Attorneys for the group wrote in a complaint that the possibility of abortion reversal is "a claim wholly unsupported by the best, most reliable scientific evidence."
SundayMonday on 09/29/2019