H4952995

Healthy Start Initiative-Eliminating Racial/Ethnic Disparities - Project Director: Dr. Pearl McElfish, pamcelfish@uams.edu
Address: 4301 W Markham St., Little Rock, AR, 72205
Total Request: $5,499,995

The purpose of the EMBRACE: Empowering Mothers and Babies, Reducing Access Challenges and Eliminating Disparities - Healthy Start Project (EMBRACE Healthy Start) is to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy and to reduce racial/ethnic differences in rates of infant death and adverse perinatal outcomes. ARHealth Ventures, Inc. (ARHealth) will serve as the lead applicant and fiscal agent of this collaborative.

ARHealth and our long-standing community consortium have developed a work plan and continuum of services with two focus areas: 1) providing direct and enabling services and 2) convening a community consortium comprising diverse multi-sector partners to advise and inform all EMBRACE Healthy Start activities. EMBRACE Healthy Start will target African American/Black pregnant, preconception, and interconception women; fathers/partners; and infant(s) and/or child(ren) less than 18 months in the counties of Ashley, Ouachita, and Union in Arkansas.

The target population was chosen because they are experiencing the highest health disparities. The three-year (2019-2021) low birthweight rate in the three counties is 15.85 per 100 live births, 15.32 per 100 live births, and 14.61 per 100 live births, respectively, and 15.05% combined (=12.5% and =1.5 times the national average). There were 160 low birthweight births during 2019-2021.

All three counties are designated as rural, and there is only one birthing hospital in the project area. To improve perinatal outcomes and reduce infant mortality rates, EMBRACE Healthy Start will provide services at the individual, group and community levels. We will increase uptake of healthy behaviors before, during and after pregnancy by providing group prenatal care and health education through mobile CenteringPregnancy to 250 pregnant women and fathers/partners each year.

We will increase the use of healthy and safe infant and toddler care practices by providing group parenting and postpartum and infant care, education and support through mobile CenteringParenting to 70 postpartum women and families (total of 320 in group-based education). We will increase receipt of care coordination/case management to facilitate access to medical care and community-based resources by providing individual care coordination/case management, doula support, supplemental education, and support in navigating social determinants of health (SDOH) to 250 pregnant women, 25 partners, 100 hundred postpartum women and families, and 75 preconception/interconception women (total of 450).

We will conduct a public health campaign using traditional and non-traditional modes of communication to reach at least 10,000 people, and we will conduct community outreach and health education sessions through community-based and faith-based organizations to reach at least 500 people each year. Our community consortium will finalize and implement a plan to address “upstream factors” and social determinants of health contributing to disparities in perinatal outcomes in the project area and disseminate needs, updates, and outcomes to broad audiences.

Arhealth Ventures

NOT APPLICABLE

93.926 - Healthy Start Initiative

HRSA Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM) [HHS - HRSA]

Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) [HHS - HRSA]

Little Rock, Arkansas United States

City-Wide

Healthy Start Initiative: Eliminating Disparities in Perinatal Health (HRSA-24-033)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 218% from $1,008,332 to $3,208,330.