Fremont Leads Oakland in Children’s Health, Study Says

OAKLAND — Alameda County contains sharp contrasts when it comes to the health of its children, according to a national study of public health.

Fremont may be the best city in America--but Oakland is near the bottom, concluded the study, which was released Thursday by the National Public Health and Hospital Institute.

The 403-page study ranking the nation’s 100 largest cities found Fremont topping the child welfare list. Oakland came in at 70, up from 78.

Among other things, Fremont, with a 1994 population of 184,000, had an infant mortality rate of 3.79 per 1,000 births, the third-best showing in the nation, and far below the national average of 7.51.

The study noted that a 46% reduction in Oakland’s infant mortality rate boosted the city’s rating.

Oakland Mayor Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. called the reduction in infant mortality “a very encouraging sign,” adding that “Oakland clearly has a way to go.”

The striking disparity between Oakland and Fremont comes as no surprise to county health officials.

“Fremont has become a de facto suburb of Silicon Valley,” said Sherri Willis, spokeswoman for the Alameda County Public Health Department. “It’s not even in the same league as Oakland.”