THE GONE Joy Carrington arranges a display of 318 pairs of infant shoes on the steps of the Arkansas Department of Health on Thursday in recognition of September as National Infant Mortality Awareness Month. The shoes symbolize the 318 infants who died before their first birthday in the state of Arkansas in 2009. (Photo: Stephen B. Thornton / The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via the AP / MSNBC.com)
This is an arresting photo. Sometimes you need to see past data and statistics and numbers and see the true health and community impact of something like infant mortality. It can be devastating.