Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Emily Miller MD MS FAAP

Julia Raifman, ScD @juliaraifman.bsky.social · 5d

Did you know? The US has one of the highest child poverty rates of OECD countries.

The average child poverty rate across OECD countries is 12.2%

In the US, it’s over 20%

It’s partly why many children rely on SNAP

High rates of child poverty warrant a national conversation.

OECD Child poverty rate by country

“On average across OECD countries, 12.2% of children live in relative income poverty (Chart CO2.2.A),
but rates differ considerably from country to country. In six OECD countries (Chile, Costa Rica, Israel, Spain,
Türkiye and the United States), more than 20% of children live in relative poverty; rates are particularly high,
at around 30%, in Costa Rica. In 17 other OECD countries (Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and
Sweden), however, less than 10% of children live in relative income poverty. In Denmark and Finland, the
child relative income poverty rate is only around 4%.”

Source:
https://webfs.oecd.org/els-com/Family_Database/CO_2_2_Child_Poverty.pdf

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 4d

Additional factors associated with lower rates of nirsevimab receipt in US include:

-Older age (OR 0.60; CI 0.58–0.62)
-Black race (OR 0.53; CI 0.43–0.65)
-Very low Child Opportunity Index (OR 0.70; CI 0.54–0.91)
-Public insurance (OR 0.79; CI 0.67–0.92)

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 4d

Nirsevimab is available in the US, but there are still gaps that put infants at risk:

1. Sometimes reserved for high risk infants (preterm, NICU) at the delivery hospital.
2. Not available at all pediatric practices.
3. Adults and older kids who are not eligible for mab or vaccination.

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 5d

Respiratory virus season is starting. RSV cases are increasing. This is the perfect time to get your RSV vaccine if you qualify:

- pregnant, 32 - 36 weeks gestation
- everyone age 75+
- age 50 - 74 w underlying medical conditions
- living in nursing home/longterm care facility
- infants < 8 months

www.latimes.com

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Reposted by Emily Miller MD MS FAAP

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health @hsph.harvard.edu · 18d

Rita Hamad, professor of social epidemiology and public policy, explains why losing the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System puts the health of mothers and infants at risk, and how she hopes to help keep its data accessible. “Without data, we can’t fix problems,” says @ritahamad.bsky.social

With federal maternal health database in limbo, a risk to mother and infant health | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Rita Hamad explains why losing PRAMS puts the health of mothers and infants at risk, and how she hopes to help keep its data accessible.

hsph.harvard.edu

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 19d

Tomorrow in Cincinnati, community leaders, healthcare professionals, advocates, and changemakers will come together at the #CradlingCincinnati Summit to drive innovation and equity in maternal and infant health.

Bold ideas. Proven strategies. Community-led solutions.

👉 www.cradlecincinnati.org

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 19d

Immigration policies are creating impossible choices for NICU families.

Parents are afraid to visit their infants, deterred by anti-immigrant rhetoric and fear of U.S. ICE actions at hospitals.

Ask your legislator to support the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act.

With @neodrswenson.bsky.social

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 20d

Out of hospital births doubled in SW Ohio over the past 5 years, from 1.5% to 3%.

Changing maternal socio-demographic profiles and risk factors (maternal disease, multiples, prematurity, breech position) may confer increased neonatal risk.

Read more about our study findings at the link below.

Expecting mothers increasingly turn to at-home births: New research

More pregnant people are turning away from hospital births and instead choosing their homes, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Ex...

www.eurekalert.org

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 22d

Numerous additional benefits found in other studies:

Student Participation, Attendance, Academic Performance, Diet Quality, Food Security, and Body Mass Index:
doi.org/10.3390/nu13...

Childhood Obesity:
doi.org/10.1542/peds...

Blood Pressure Outcomes Among Youth:
doi.org/10.1001/jama...

School Provision of Universal Free Meals and Blood Pressure Outcomes Among Youths

This cohort study assesses whether school-level adoption of the Community Eligibility Provision was associated with childhood blood pressure outcomes among students in low-income public and charter sc...

jamanetwork.com

Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · 22d

More than half a million Ohio kids — 1 in 5 — are dealing with food insecurity.

Universal school meals would create $520 million more in annual benefits than the program would cost.
⬇️household food insecurity
⬆️administrative efficiency
⬇️obesity
⬆️lifetime earnings by kids who are ready to learn

Honesty for Ohio Education @honesty4ohioed.bsky.social · 22d

Analysis: Universal school meals in Ohio would pay for themselves — and then some
by Marty Schladen
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/10/14/a...

Analysis: Universal school meals in Ohio would pay for themselves — and then some • Ohio Capital Journal

Most Ohio school kids already get free meals. Making them free for all students would produce big social benefits, new study says.

ohiocapitaljournal.com

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Reposted by Emily Miller MD MS FAAP

The BMJ @bmj.com · Oct 6

NEW Research: Non-invasive high frequency oscillatory ventilation for primary respiratory support in extremely preterm infants: multicentre randomised controlled trial

Read here: www.bmj.com/content/391/...

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Reposted by Emily Miller MD MS FAAP

Cincinnati Children’s Research @cincyresearch.bsky.social · Sep 10

Important point raised by Drs. Feister, Miller, Unaka and Beck at #cincinnatichildrens. NICUs are well positioned to assist families with claiming govt benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, WIC, SNAP, and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Government-administered benefit programs: missed opportunities to address poverty in the NICU - Journal of Perinatology

Journal of Perinatology - Government-administered benefit programs: missed opportunities to address poverty in the NICU

www.nature.com

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Sep 10

NOW AVAILABLE: the Improving Neonatology Staffing toolkit!

To aid in advocacy and implementation, this toolkit includes:
-background of the issues
-needs assessments
-advocacy tools
-practical staffing solutions

The toolkit is publicly available:
www.aap.org/en/community...

Please share widely!

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Sep 3

It's striking how a cohesive framework would broadly improve health outcomes.

Sub your patient population for rural and it works.

Families deserve more. Kids deserve more. Our country deserves more.

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 26

rdcu.be/eBwfu

📷 @ebneo.bsky.social

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 24

📣 New population study out @ameracadpeds.bsky.social

Factors associated with lower rates of nirsevimab receipt included:

-Older age (OR 0.60; CI 0.58–0.62)
-Black race (OR 0.53; CI 0.43–0.65)
-Very low Child Opportunity Index (OR 0.70; CI 0.54–0.91)
-Public insurance (OR 0.79; CI 0.67–0.92)

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Reposted by Emily Miller MD MS FAAP

Miranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · Aug 23

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 21

Future studies are needed to investigate potential drivers of inequities in referral patterns (transportation, childcare, language access, receipt of appropriate anticipatory guidance, and mistrust of the healthcare system) and further explore the quality of the consultation provided.

4/4

Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 21

In the periviable cohort, access to care appeared to be a contributing factor.

Pregnant people who did not receive consultation were more likely to:
-have inadequate prenatal care (39.1% v 8.1%)
-shorter time from admission to delivery (<1h v 70h)

3/4

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 21

Among periviable cohort (22-24 weeks), prenatal NICU consultation ⬇️
Black v White (81% v 94%)
Hispanic v non (50% v 89.2%)
Medicaid v commercial insurance (82% v 96%)

Among severe congenital anomaly cohort, prenatal NICU consultation ⬇️
non-English v English speaking (44% v 81%)

2/4

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 21

📣perinatal health inequities pub alert📣

This population-level review of pregnancies w/ high chance of neonatal mortality found previously unrecognized inequities in prenatal neonatology consultation.

rdcu.be/eBwfu

Elegant work by @samantha-lee-3.bsky.social @cincykidsneo.bsky.social

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Inequities in prenatal neonatology consultation in high-mortality neonatal populations

Journal of Perinatology - Inequities in prenatal neonatology consultation in high-mortality neonatal populations

rdcu.be

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 17

Fear of detention impacts NICU families too.

When families cannot be at the bedside, babies have longer hospital stays, heightened stress, more pain, and are at increased risk for developmental and behavioral problems that can persist throughout childhood.

www.cnn.com/2025/08/16/u...

How pediatricians are quietly preparing immigrant families for the unthinkable: leaving their children behind | CNN

On a warm June day in Nashville, Briana cradled her one-year-old son in the pediatrician’s waiting room. She was there for his routine checkup, expecting to talk about vaccines and growth charts.

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Emily Miller MD MS FAAP

Erika Edwards @erikamedwards.bsky.social · Aug 17

Worse hospital financial health was associated with decreased likelihood of providing perinatal services.

There was a moderate correlation with higher percentage of births in DSH-receiving hospitals and reduced maternal mortality.

#neosky #obsky

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Hospital Financial Health and Provision of Obstetric and NICU Services

This cohort study analyzes the association of hospital financial health with provision of obstetric and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) services.

jamanetwork.com

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Reposted by Emily Miller MD MS FAAP

JAMA @jama.com · Aug 15

📊 JAMA Data Brief: Despite medical advances, US children's health is worsening with increased mortality and chronic conditions, partly due to inadequate insurance and societal investment.

ja.ma/4oA1Ve8

JAMA Data Brief: Bar graph comparing infant mortality rates in the US vs. OECD18 between 2007 and 2022. Mortality rate decreased but remains higher in the US. Causes listed: prematurity, SUID, and other causes.

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Emily Miller MD MS FAAP @emilymillermd.bsky.social · Aug 5

Hidden within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a reduction in Medicaid’s ability to pay for care retroactively (care that has already been delivered) from 90 to 60 days

Shortening this window of payment targets parents of newborns, and will burden families with thousands of dollars of medical debt

Care about babies and moms? This Big Beautiful Bill cut should scare you | Opinion

This slash to Medicaid will make it dramatically harder for hospitals to give newborns and their families the care they need. | Opinion

tinyurl.com

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