Here's another distinction Detroit could do without. But it's reality, and it's a frightening one, according to a Detroit news study.
Karen Bouffard of the Detroit News reports that Detroit children -- up through age 18 -- are dying at a greater rate than in any U.S. city its size or larger: 120 per 100,000 in 2010. That is the latest year data is available.
The News reports that the top killer is prematurity, followed by violence.
“This is a public health emergency in the city of Detroit,”Dr. Herman Gray, executive vice president of pediatric health services for the Detroit Medical Center and former president of DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan, told the “We are losing our future in really socially unacceptable ways.”
Philadelphia ranks second at 95.7 children per 100,000. -- A.L.
