Cleveland's infant mortality rate is significantly higher than the national average. Black babies are three times more likely not to make it to their first birthdays than white babies.

A new birthing center in the city's Hough neighborhood aims to improve those numbers.

The birthing center, operated by Birthing Beautiful Communities, will give women a space to give birth with a doula, and provide other support services like lactation consultants and mental health supports.

Tuesday on the "Sound of Ideas," we'll talk to the organization's president about her plans to create better outcomes for mothers and children.

Bringing down the infant mortality rate has been a goal of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's, and just last week he announced initiative aimed at improving birth rates around the state.

Later in the hour, we'll speak to "The Unsilenced Voices of CMSD."

This Ideastream project, helmed by Education Reporter Conor Morris, looks to share the voices of Cleveland Metropolitan School District high school students.

We brought you a conversation with some of the students involved in December and we'll close today's show with another roundtable discussion.

The blog offers these students a chance to write openly about topics like gun violence, LGBTQ+ rights, and phones in schools- and gives them insight into the journalistic process.

They joined Jenny Hamel in the studio to talk about their project and life as high school students.

Here's a link to "The Unsilenced Voices of CMSD" blog.

Guests:
- Jazmin Long, President and CEO, Birthing Beautiful Communities
- LeAirra Lacey, Director of Corporate Partnerships, Birthing Beautiful Communities
- Jenny Hamel, Host, "Sound of Ideas"
- Angela Newman-White, Executive Director, First Year Cleveland
- Chaise Black, Sophomore, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine
- Errion Edgerson, Junior, Collinwood High School
- Sana Bahadur, Sophomore, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine
- Owen Pennington, Junior, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine
- Ariel Sender, Sophomore, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine
- Jamecia Peterson, Sophomore, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine