Mississippi is reeling from a devastating rise in infant mortality, a trend intensifying health disparities for Black and low-income families. Dr. Daniel Edney, the state’s public health officer, recognized troubling numbers in 2024: nearly 10 babies died for every 1,000 live births, but for Black babies the rate soared to 15.2 per 1,000, prompting a public health emergency. “If having babies dying at the rate that our babies are dying is not a public health emergency, I don’t know what is,” Edney said.
Advocates and clinicians warn that Medicaid cuts are compounding these tragedies, as mothers lose vital access to prenatal and postpartum care. Dr. Lakeisha Richardson, one of the few obstetricians in the Mississippi Delta, sees many women with untreated conditions like hypertension and diabetes. “Out of 10 deliveries, maybe one or two will be no prenatal care or late prenatal care,” she explained. More than half of Mississippi’s counties lack comprehensive maternity care, forcing many pregnant women to travel hours for appointments or forgo regular checkups entirely.
Carlnishia Kimber Holmes, a high-risk patient with hypertension, described driving two hours for specialist care each week, which cost her job and left her family on one income. Even with Medicaid available during pregnancy, many women are unclear about eligibility and struggle to get appointments. As Medicaid rolls shrink under federal spending cuts, experts fear infant mortality will rise both in Mississippi and nationwide.
For those who lose children, the grief endures. Brittany Lampkin, who lost her baby girl despite following every medical directive, questioned why “Black women are suffering disproportionately. What happened? How are we regressing in medicine?”
See: “Inside the fight to save Mississippi’s babies amid Medicaid cuts” (October 2, 2025)
