NAACP fights back against infant mortality

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Memphis Branch of the NAACP is partnering with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and several area hospitals to fight infant mortality.

This weekend, the local NAACP got community members together to spread the word about how it plans to help moms-to-be.

“Infant mortality, or when these young people don’t have the proper neo-natal health care, leads to other issues,” NAACP Memphis Branch President Van Turner said. It leads to deficiencies so they can’t matriculate well in school.”

The Memphis chapter of the NAACP is also working with Baptist Memorial, Methodist/LeBonheur, Regional One Hospital, the Shelby County Health Department and Pace Cooper, president and CEO of Cooper Hotels, to offer free MyBaby4Me workshops.

It’s taken about 6 months to get the program started.

“It’s much more than infant mortality,” Turner said. “This issue affects every aspect of this community, and we think that by undergoing this program and inviting these families, these mothers, and these fathers to come here to get the proper health care in the beginning (and throughout the early stages) of when the child is born ... we are really addressing an important need in this community.”

“There will be classes, [and] we will have teachers that come in and teach them,” Executive Director Vickie Terry said. We’re going to feed them a meal, we’re also going to give them a Kroger gift card, so they can buy other food purchases as well.”

Turner tells Action News 5, he hopes to build a brighter future in the community, specifically in the 38126-zip code.

The first workshop will be held No. 29 at 4 p.m. at the NAACP’s office, located at 588 Vance Avenue.

Future classes will be held on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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