Delta region maternal care coordination program - applicant: rural health association of tennessee (RHA) address: 21 n white OAK ST, decaturville, TN 38329 type: (nonprofit) state rural health…

Delta region maternal care coordination program - applicant: rural health association of tennessee (RHA) address: 21 n white OAK ST, decaturville, TN 38329 type: (nonprofit) state rural health association website: WWW.tnruralhealth.ORG project title: tennessee delta doula network project goal: increase the number of healthcare providers and paraprofessionals trained on providing culturally sensitive, coordinated care during prenatal, labor, and postpartum states of pregnancy for medicaid eligible women. Project objectives: 1. Increase referrals between healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and trained doulas by facilitating cross sector closed loop referrals in 18 rural delta counties during and after pregnancy. 2. Develop, promote, and implement a network of doulas trained on providing culturally sensitive prenatal, labor, and postpartum care, mental health first aid and screenings, and closed loop referrals. 3. Identify barriers to providing maternal health in the delta region and work with advisory committee, managed care organizations, state medicaid, and department of health to develop strategies and sustainability plans. 4. Develop and implement sustainable strategies of care coordination into policies, procedures, staffing, services, and communication systems in delta network by august 2027. Proposed service area: all eligible TN rural delta counties (lake, obion, dyer, weakley, henry, gibson, carroll, benton, lauderdale, tipton, haywood, hardeman, henderson, chester, mcnairy, hardin, decatur, crockett) and census tracts (madison: 47113001608) introduction: RHA requests a four-year award of $450,000 per year to engage rural health clinics (RHC), critical access hospitals, short term PPS hospitals, mental and behavioral health providers (BHP), and others in the tennessee delta doula network (delta network). Target population: the delta network's pool of certified doulas will provide in-home perinatal care to pregnant mothers in all 18 TN rural delta counties, with EM phasis on low-income families, especially those reliant on medicaid. Network partnerships: the founding members of the delta network include RHA, 4 rural hospitals, an RHC, and a BHP. Project activities: our strategies for achieving these objectives involve recruiting and onboarding 30 rural delta county residents to become certified labor doulas, conducting intense provider education and outreach, and providing 280-300 doula services scholarships, inclusive of telehealth services. Expected outcomes: RHA will establish a network of 30 certified doulas, provider partners in each community, a doula training curriculum specific to the needs of rural TN, and a sustained network that matches doulas with expecting mothers. The delta MCC will allow US to work toward contracting with the mcos and support doulas and their clients. Capacity: since 1994, RHA has been bringing together rural health stakeholders to provide educational and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, encouraging integration of care, and facilitating cross-sector collaborations. Our 800+ members include primary providers, school health professionals, mental and behavioral health providers, and others working to address health disparities in rural TN. Through a smaller pilot upstate, RHA has already developed a doula training program with supporting resources and is teaching doulas on electronic health records and closed-loop referral tools. This experience, plus the support of the tennessee department of health, division of family health, and a managed care organization give the delta network a clear roadmap to expand access and care coordination in the delta region. Funding preference: RHA requests funding preference based on our location in decaturville, TN, a designated hpsa for primary care, dental, and mental health. Funding priority: RHA requests funding priority for delivering coordinated perinatal health care services in lauderdale county, TN (mcta of 24).