Healthy start initiative-eliminating racial/ethnic disparities - healthy start (HS) funding will enable southside medical center, a federally qualified health center serving the community for more…

Healthy start initiative-eliminating racial/ethnic disparities - healthy start (HS) funding will enable southside medical center, a federally qualified health center serving the community for more than 50 years, to add case management/care coordination and counseling support for low-income, black/african american and hispanic/latina women, their partners and children, and enhanced education regarding healthy behaviors including healthy and safe infant and toddler care practices to our comprehensive women's health services pre-conception, prenatal, postpartum, interconception, family planning; and pediatric services. Our target population has been the victim of 2022 closures of two hospitals which served our target area characterized by low-income, uninsured residents; high index scores of social deprivation; multiple barriers social determinants which impact access and outcomes of care include higher than average rates of infant mortality, pre-term births, and low birthweight births. The purpose of these additions to our menu of services is to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies before, during, and after pregnancy; prevent potential complications for which they may be at higher risk; provide early treatment for health problems that may arise; and to ultimately reduce disparities in rates of maternal and infant deaths during the perinatal period; reducing morbidities due to pre-term and/or low birthweight births. Southside proposes to serve eligible women, fathers/partners, infants and toddlers residing in fulton, dekalb, and clayton counties in georgia to provide continuous service for the MOM, baby and family from pre-conception to prenatal to postpartum and infancy as well as a full range of health services, thus preventing gaps in care from moving between healthy start organizations and separate healthcare providers who provide labor and delivery services and pediatric care. We will offer evidence-based centering pregnancy and centering parenting group-based sessions alongside prenatal and p ediatric appointments to increase knowledge, skills and empower confidence in new parents. If hrsa opts to select southside as a healthy start grantee for a reduced area, we are willing to work to establish an agreement outlining amended project areas that do not overlap which specifies the boundaries between grantees; outline partnership responsibilities for outreach, recruitment and referrals to assure no overlap; and allow both grantees to serve 700 participants annually.