LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the state of Arkansas has the third-highest infant mortality rate in the country.
Now, one organization is working on a new effort based in Little Rock hoping to help change those statistics.
It’s called "MyBaby4Me," and it’s funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with versions of it already operating in Memphis and Nashville.
The Little Rock version, which will be hosted at the Bullock Temple C.M.E Church across from Central High School, held a kickoff event on Saturday.
Speakers included Dr. Kay Chandler, Surgeon General of Arkansas, along with Michael Beheshti from the LDS church, and Odessa Darrough, the Senior Pastor of the Bullock Temple Church.
“Today, we are pleased to begin the work of love and ministry to help mothers and save babies’ lives,” Darrough said.
Dr. Chandler said the program will address infant mortality, which is an issue that she and Governor Sarah Sanders are passionate about fighting.
“When Governor Sanders heard about this program, she asked for it to be brought to Little Rock,” Chandler said. “And that is because we know that community and connection matters. It's a program that aims to reach and serve pregnant women and their developing babies through showing love and care in a very tangible and very personal way.”
Latoyia Dennis, who founded the nonprofit group, "A Chance to Learn," has helped secure grant funding to extend the program in Memphis. She also explained that the idea of reducing infant mortality and helping expecting mothers is something very personal to her.
“I nearly died twice having my son. I miscarried five times and I was nearly an example," she described.
She also shared how she was diagnosed with a disorder that she thinks could’ve been identified sooner with better education.
One of the primary goals of the "MyBaby4Me" program is just that— educating new or expecting mothers.
It invites women to the church twice a week to meet with other new or soon-to-be mothers and hear valuable information on pregnancy and motherhood. However, other needs are filled too.
“We're providing meals every single time they come, not just while they're here, but when they leave,” Dennis said. “We provide transportation, if that's a need, to ensure that they can come to learn how to be healthy, whole, and happy moms.”
However, the group realizes that people won’t take advantage of these resources if they don’t know about them. So after Saturday’s event, they went to work, knocking on doors and leaving flyers in neighborhoods identified as at-risk.
“Not everybody that we canvass is going to have somebody who's pregnant,” Chandler said. “But if they know it's there then they might have somebody that they do know, that they can say, ‘Hey, did you know about this program?’ So we just are here to make sure that people know about this.”
Currently, the program is targeted at women in the 72202 zip code, which is an area that has been disproportionately affected by infant mortality.
Although they are primarily focusing on one zip code for now, Beheshti said that they would not turn anyone away from the program.
"We have eased out of zip codes occasionally to accommodate moms that are interested in participating," said Dennis.
Meetings will be held at the Bullock Temple Church beginning on December 16, 2024.
After that, they will be held each Monday evening from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., and on Thursday afternoons from 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
More information can be found by calling (501) 413-4976.