Rate of breast-fed Black babies lags
Breast-feeding rates for Black babies in Arkansas fell behind those for white babies, an analysis from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week.
That matters because breast-feeding is "the optimal source of nutrition for most infants," the report said.
In 2019, breast-feeding was initiated for about 52.3% of Black babies in Arkansas, compared with 78% of white babies, according to statistics published with the report.
Asian babies in Arkansas had the highest rates of breast-feeding, with 85% of the cohort studied marked as having been breast-fed.
The numbers were in line with national trends that showed the lowest rates of breast-feeding for Black infants.
Overall, 73.7% of infants born in Arkansas in 2019 were breast-fed, the report found. That's lower than the national average of 84.1% of babies born that year.
2 lawmakers back residency slots bill
Two members of the Arkansas delegation last week backed a bill that aims to boost the number of residency slots available to medical school graduates.
U.S. Reps. French Hill and Rick Crawford signed on to support H.R. 2256, called the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021.
The proposed legislation aims to help distribute new residency slots, which are partially paid for by the federal government, to hospitals. It's been referred to a committee for review.
Residency is the last step in a doctor's training. Most residencies run for at least three years after completion of medical school.