KALAMAZOO (Mich.)- In a popular Bronson Hospital advertisement featuring Dr. Arthur James, he is cradling a tiny newborn baby in his arms. His gentle demeanor and compassion for helping babies even before they are born, is something many mothers who’ve been in his care truly appreciate.
His own two arms can only hold so many babies, and help so many mothers. The network of others in the healthcare field too dedicated to decreasing the infant mortality rate in Kalamazoo County is what James said has provided him the many arms he needs to make a difference.
That’s what James said during a teary appreciation speech held on May 4, to honor him for work he’s done in curtailing racial disparities in infant mortality in Kalamazoo County. He was honored by political dignitaries, and community leaders during the first Healthy Babies Healthy Start annual Arthur James Awards event held at the Bronson Gilmore Center for Health Education.
In addition to award created in his honor, James was presented with the “Resolution of Distinction from the Borgess Health Board of Trustees,” along with proclamations from the state, city, Healthy Babies, Healthy Start, and others.
“I didn’t start this project to win awards. It was to save lives,” James said. ” I only have two arms. The network of so many in Kalamazoo have worked just as hard to make sure this success happened.”
In studying data beginning in 1980, a project led by James discovered that the State of Michigan had the highest rate of infant mortality in African Americans in the United States, and Kalamazoo County had the highest rate of infant mortality for that same group, in the state. They also discovered 85 percent of the African American births in Kalamazoo County were funded by Medicaid. At that, he said poverty, quality of life and other issues came into view.
The first Healthy Babies Healthy Start Dr. Arthur James Award was presented to Dr. Michael Liepman, director of Addiction Psychiatry and Research, Michigan State University, Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, for the Mother Mind Matters Initiative. Liepman was honored for his unprecedented impact on perinatal depression screening and treatment improving the quality of lives of women and their families in our community. It is James’ lead in research regarding the racial disparity in infant mortality in Kalamazoo County, that brought the two doctors together.
“When I returned to Kalamazoo in 1996, someone told me to, ‘talk to Dr. James.’ I said, ‘why?’ They said, ‘just call and you will find out,” said Liepman, a native of Kalamazoo and 1964 graduate of Loy Norrix High School. “I did find out, and it has been an amazing experience.”
Liepman too received various recognitions, including on by Kalamazoo Metropolitan NAACP President Charles Warfield.
“I wanted to find out about (Liepman) before I met him, and in printing his resume, my printer ran out of paper,” Warfield said. “When that happened, I said, that’s a man I need to know.”
Liepman’s scroll of accomplishments have led him to various teaching hospitals from the University of Michigan to Brown University. His efforts have led to medical research advances in areas such as fetal alcohol syndrome and perinatal mood disorders.
During the event Carmen Sweezy, director of Healthy Babies Healthy Start, and Catherine Kothari, discussed their Impact of Case Management on Reducing Racial Disparities. Their research led to recognition as winner of the Best Clinical Research at the 28th annual Kalamazoo Community Medical Health and Science Research Day at MSU’s Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies.
Their study, based on research led by James chronicling 1980-2008, showed the improvement of infant mortality rate among blacks and whites in Kalamazoo County. In working to combat various factors which led to the racial disparity of infant mortality, they networked those in the county who could provide resources for everything from healthy eating to access to healthcare issues.
Their work paid off, and research showed a smaller gap in infant mortality rates. The medical world will soon see the fruit of their works when they are published in Maternal Child Health Journal this fall.
“What we learned was that many of the issues in the racial disparity of infant mortality were social, and social problems demand a social response,” said Kothari.
