Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — State Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, was appointed to the Ohio Commission on Infant Mortality, which works to improve the state’s infant mortality rate.

Commission members come from the state Legislature, state department directors, designees from various state agencies and representatives from the state’s health care sector and community-based programs.

The commission is charged with advising the governor on how to best allocate state funding and services to address infant mortality.

McNally said: “Infant mortality is an issue I’ve been working on since my time on Youngstown City Council. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to engage with this issue from a higher level. As a state, Ohio’s infant mortality rate is above the national average. We need to do better and we have the resources at the state level to be able to do better.”