Gov. Rick Snyder set his sights on reducing the infant mortality rate in a wide-ranging speech Wednesday aimed at laying framework for tackling some of the state’s most troubling public health issues.

“Infant mortality is a critical indicator of the overall health and welfare of Michigan and the quality and accessibility of prenatal care for women,” Snyder said at a special message to the Legislature on health and wellness at the Heart of the City Health Center in Grand Rapids.

And by that indication, the state is not doing well. With the infant mortality rate of 7.9, Michigan ranks 37th among all states for infant mortality. That means about 8 babies per 1,000 born each year will die before their first birthday.

Snyder said the Michigan Department of Community Health has called a summit to begin to address the problem. It will convene Oct. 17 in Ypsilanti at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest.

In Washtenaw County, some health care providers already are working to improve the mortality outcome for infants.

Ellen Clement, the director of The Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti, will attend summit, she said, and hopes to share what Corner Health has learned in its nearly 30 years of operation in Ypsilanti.

Corner Health provides services to 100 pregnant patients 21 years old and younger each year.

Most of its pregnant clients are young black women who lack insurance and pay for services with Medicaid, though the clinic also subsidizes care with private donations, she said.

Local statistics say the typical pregnant Corner Health client is more likely to have a child that will die within its first year of life. But Clement says good prenatal care and other strategies improve outcomes for the children of its pregnant patients.

Black infants are three times more likely to die than their white counterparts in Washtenaw County, said Susan Cerniglia, a public health information officer at the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health.

It’s still not entirely clear why. And higher infant mortality tends to hold steady, even among black women from higher-income households.

The overall infant mortality rate is 5.2 in Washtenaw County; for white infants, it is 3.5 and for black infants, 13.3. Local statistics on other races are not available, Cerniglia said.

By offering frequent care, a close, caring relationship with clients and an array of support services, Corner Health helps to lower rates of infant mortality among the children of its patients, said Clement, the executive director of the full-service primary care clinic, whose patients are between 12 and 21 years old.

Better pre-natal care also saves health care costs.

Cerniglia said national statistics indicate a healthy birth cost about $11,000, while a pre-term birth costs $75,000.

Pre-term births — that which occur before the 37th week pregnancy — are closely linked to infant mortality rates, Cerniglia said.

Officials from Public Health will attend and contribute their findings to the infant mortality summit in Ypsilanti, as well as an obesity summit being called Sept. 21 in Lansing, Cerniglia said.

Snyder called obesity a “major public health problem facing Michigan” in the Wednesday speech. The state ranks 8th of 50 states with an obesity rate of 31.7 percent, he said.

The invitation-only summits aim to tap public health stakeholders for specific ideas on to tackle two pressing public health concerns, said Angela Minicuci, public information officer for the Michigan Department of Community Health.

The summits, she said, aim to determine “What needs to be done and how it can be done,” when it comes to these public health issues. About 500 individuals are expected to attend each, she said.

Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter