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Columbus Gets Poor Grade For Premature Births

The March of Dimes is giving Columbus a D grade for premature births. The organization ranks Columbus 85th out of 100 U.S. cities with the largest number of premature births. Franklin County also gets a D grade. The rankings are based on Columbus premature birth rate of 11.4 percent in 2015 and the county's rate of 10.6 percent. The organization, which gives the state a C grade, has a national goal of reaching an 8.1 percent rate by the year 2020. Local officials have launched several initiatives in recent years to try and improve the situation.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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