• By Todd Luck
• Posted Friday, September 27, 2024

Walk a Mile to Save Our Babies brings awareness to infant mortality

A long line of participants pushed 40 empty baby strollers around Bailey Park in Winston-Salem on September 26 to bring awareness to infant mortality in Forsyth County.

The event coincided with efforts across the country in recognition of September as Infant Mortality Awareness Month, and each of the 40 empty strollers represented an infant who was born alive but died before their first birthday in Forsyth County in 2022. Approximately 200 people attended the Annual Walk a Mile to Save Our Babies Event, which was hosted by the Forsyth County Infant Mortality Reduction Coalition.

County Commissioner Chair Don Martin and Vice Chair Gloria Whisenhunt along with Commissioners Tonya McDaniel, Gray Wilson and Dan Beese attended the event. The walk began and ended at Wake Forest Biotech place, which hosted a program after the walk. This included a panel discussion moderated by March of Dimes National Community Mobilization Director Mechaela Penix on maternal and infant health that included March of Dimes Maternal/Infant Health Director Pat Campbell, Novant Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pam Oliver, Registered Nurse Connie Perry and Wake Forest Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Prevention Katherine Poehling.

For more information about the Forsyth County Infant Mortality Reduction Coalition and infant mortality prevention, visit www.helpourbabies.org.

For photos from the event, click here.