Franklin County's new health map shows infant mortality rates remain a concern for area residents and poor housing quality contributes to poor health.
The health map was released Wednesday and discussed at the Columbus Metropolitan Club's forum by Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts, Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola and Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
The health map aims at driving initiatives to improve public health and where to target resources.
One of the key findings shows infant mortality rates remain relatively high, especially among Black infants.
The Black infant mortality rate is 12.6 per 1,000 births, while the white infant mortality rate is 3.7 per 1,000 births.
"Here in Franklin County, infant mortality is high, it remains high, but what's most concerning is the disparity between Black and white babies," Dr. Roberts said.
The highest infant mortality rate is in the 43211 ZIP code, which is the Linden area, with 17.9 deaths per 1,000 births. Two ZIP codes have mortality rates of 14.7 deaths per 1,000 births: 43203 (the Near East Side) and 43222 (Franklinton).
The map shows that housing conditions play a key role in health outcomes.
The report said housing insecurity is associated with decreased healthcare access and increased hospital and emergency department utilization, and worse overall health.
"When individuals must focus on basic needs such as housing, the seemingly 'secondary' needs of healthcare may be neglected and cause further downstream health challenges," the report said.
The report also said that more than three in 10 Franklin County households spend at least 30% of their income on housing, up from 28% in 2022.
Poverty, food insecurity, childhood trauma and neighborhood violence also play key roles in health outcomes.
The map showed that the areas of the county with the lowest life expectancy — less than 73.9 years — include census tracts in Franklinton, Linden, the South Side, the Hilltop and Linden.
"It's truly unacceptable that someone in one part of Franklin County, that their life expectancy is likely to be 15 years higher than somebody else," Mazzola said.
Life expectancy at birth in Franklin County overall has dropped from 77.1 years in 2022 to 75.9 years in 2025.
The health maps have been done every three years beginning in 2013.
