In 2015, community leaders established First Year Cleveland to help reduce infant mortality rates and eliminate racial inequities in infant health outcomes in Cuyahoga County. Originally housed at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the initiative found a permanent home at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences in July 2022—and now, it’s found a new executive director.
The steering committee of the public-private partnership announced a unanimous vote to appoint Angela Newman-White to this role, effective Jan. 9, following a national search.
Newman-White was a key partner in launching FYC seven years ago, serving as part of the 19-member design team that helped reshape FYC’s strategic priorities and ultimately led to shifting the initiative to the Mandel School. The move will allow the organization to shift into a more community-centric approach, which will center on the social determinants of health and addressing structural racism.
While FYC’s work alongside community partners is critical to reducing infant mortality, there is additional heavy lifting required to address the toxic stress and realities for women at high risk of experiencing negative birth outcomes. One of FYC’s primary responsibilities is to advocate for policy and system changes that improve the conditions that harm women and families and put them at risk for experiencing infant loss. FYC will soon reconvene its policy and advocacy committee to identify priorities and develop partnerships to drive broad-scale change.