H4953003

Healthy Start Initiative-Eliminating Racial/Ethnic Disparities - Applicant: North Broward Hospital District DBA Broward Health Address: 1800 NW 49th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 Project Director: William Green Contact Phone: (954) 473-7056 Email: wgreen@browardhealth.org Website. www.browardhealth.org Amount of Request: $1,100,000

With HRSA funding, Broward Health will establish the Perinatal Care Collaborative of Broward to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy and reduce the well-documented racial/ethnic differences in rates of infant death and adverse perinatal outcomes among women of color in Broward County. This goal will be accomplished through the provision of direct services to the target population, including care coordination, a comprehensive education program, and individualized care plans designed to meet the unique needs of participants.

The target population will be Black mothers in Broward County, specifically in ZIP codes with the highest infant mortality rates: 33060, 33064, 33065, 33068, 33069, 33309, 33311, 33312, 33313, 33315, and 33316. Broward Health opened the first hospital in Broward County, Florida in 1938 and was designated a special taxing district by the Florida Legislature in 1951. Today it is a four-hospital system with a vast network of programs and services designed to meet the needs of and improve the health and well-being of the entire community.

For 85 years, Broward Health has served as the healthcare safety-net provider, providing care regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Broward Health manages eight Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) which provide comprehensive services on a sliding scale in medically underserved areas. The FQHCs include two prenatal centers: Cora E Braynon (CEB) and Pompano Prenatal Health Center, which specialize in patient-centered care to pregnant women and those at high-risk. For many women, these are their only options for quality care, as limited to no providers exist in the area. Both of these centers are located in the heart of the target ZIP codes which are considered medical deserts as no other providers exist in the area.

There is a significant need to address perinatal health outcomes for vulnerable populations in Broward County. In Broward, Black babies are more likely to be born preterm and experience fetal death than White babies. In fact, Black babies are 3.6 times more likely to die before their first birthday than White babies. This disparity can be linked to inequities in access to health promotion resources, social and economic barriers, and challenges accessing education and employment opportunities. These disparities perpetuate a cycle of poverty and poor health outcomes across generations.

The target population for this project was chosen based on Broward data showing high perinatal disparities. Between 2019 and 2021, Black mothers made up 56% of births among the selected ZIP codes yet experienced 78% of all infant deaths. Black infants in these ZIP codes had an infant mortality rate of 9.54 per 1,000 live births. Additionally, the target population experienced disparities in low birth rate (LBW) and preterm birth rate (PTB) with an average LBW rate of 22% and a PTB rate of 23%.

The Perinatal Care Collaborative of Broward will be steered by a consortium made up of state and local partners, community members and individuals with lived experience, who will serve as an advisor for program strategies. Nurse navigators and a social worker will work with moms prenatally and postnatally. A NICU discharge coordinator will work with parents of babies who have had extended stays in the NICU, during the transition to home. The program will also feature a doula program – the first hospital based in-house doula program in South Florida. This program will improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy and reduce the well-documented racial/ethnic differences in rates of infant death and adverse perinatal outcomes among women of color in Broward County.

North Broward Hospital District

NOT APPLICABLE

93.926 - Healthy Start Initiative

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

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

Broward, Florida United States

County-Wide

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

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 218% from $1,008,333 to $3,208,333.