Health Matters: The Infant and Maternal Mortality Crisis in Louisiana

Published August 25, 2023 at 11:38 AM CDT

1 of 2 — Andrea Gallo.jpg

Andrea Gallo, Staff Writer, The Advocate

2 of 2 — IMG_0512001.jpg

Dr. Dani Zoorob and Dr. Akhil Maheshwari in the Red River Radio studios

Thursday, August 24, 2023. The U.S. ranks highest of any developed nation for infant mortality, and Louisiana's infant mortality rate is the second worst in the U.S., followed by Mississippi. Louisiana also has a high rate of maternal mortality. Andrea Gallo, reporter for The Advocate in Baton Rouge, recently took a deep dive into this issue.

On this Health Matters, she joins host Dr. Randall Brewer to talk about her findings. Also joining in the conversation are physicians Dr. Dani Zoorob, Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UroGynecology and Pelvic Health, Ochsner LSU Health System, and Dr. Akhil Maheshwari, Professor of Pediatrics, and Molecular & Cellular Physiology, and Chief, Division of Neonatal Medicine at LSU Health Shreveport, as we look at the problem and solutions.