What started as a college capstone project has spiraled into a full-scale public awareness campaign for Valparaiso resident Alexis Brown.
Brown â a senior public relations student at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois â is working to empower young black women in Lake County with the tools needed to take charge of their health care.
In 2017, Lake Countyâs infant mortality rate surpassed the state average but showed a widening gap particularly among minority women, according to data from the Indiana State Department of Health.
Lake County reported an average infant mortality rate of 10.5 per 1,000 live births among women of all races and of 22.5 per 1,000 live births among black women in 2017, according to the ISDH. Thatâs compared to state averages of 7.3 per 1,000 live births of all women and 15.3 per 1,000 live births of Black women.