Healthy Start EPIC Center
Reduce the proportion of Healthy Start women participants who conceive within 18 months of a previous birth to 30%.
Pregnancies should be spaced at least 18 months apart to reduce health risks for both mother and baby. Increased risks for babies conceived within 18 months of giving birth include preterm birth, low birth weight, and small size for gestational age. Additionally, in order to achieve optimal health before another pregnancy, the mother needs time to fully recover from the previous birth.
A Performance Measure Resource Sheet is available summarizing recommended strategies and a selection of resources and evidence-based practices related to this benchmark to aid Healthy Start grantee organizations, partners and their staff in supporting the women and families they serve.
Featured Resource: Evidence-Based Practice
This patient handout discusses optimal spacing of pregnancies and describes the health benefits for both mother and baby of spacing pregnancies at least 18 months apart.
March of Dimes works to improve the health of mothers and babies, and to prevent preterm birth and birth defects. The website includes information and resources on pregnancy and preparing and caring for your baby, as well as loss and grief.
Chronic Disease Depression Early Elective Delivery Home Visiting Nutrition
NHSA is committed to improving birth outcomes and health disparities that exist within communities of color throughout the US. As the membership association for Healthy Start programs nationwide, NHSA promotes the development of community-based maternal and child health programs, particularly those addressing the issues of infant mortality, low birth weight and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes.
Breastfeeding Early Elective Delivery Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning
March of Dimes’ Prematurity Campaign aims to raise public awareness of the problems of prematurity and decrease the rate of preterm birth in the U.S.
Chronic Disease Depression Early Elective Delivery Home Visiting Nutrition Risk Assessment
This initiative aims to reduce preterm births and improve outcomes for newborns and pregnant women through an awareness campaign to reduce the rate of early elective deliveries and providing funding to test enhanced prenatal care approaches to reduce the frequency of premature births among pregnant Medicaid or CHIP beneficiaries at high risk.
Chronic Disease Depression Early Elective Delivery Home Visiting Nutrition Risk Assessment
A national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. The website includes resources on child development and behavior, early care and education, child maltreatment, and public policy.
Breastfeeding Early Elective Delivery Home Visiting Life Course Model Parenting Education Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Social Determinants of Health Socio-emotional Development for Children
The Interconception Care Project of California is a collection of recommendations to improve and promote the interconception health of women by maximizing care during the postpartum visit. The website contains links to free evidence-based clinical management algorithms for the 21 most common pregnancy and delivery complications in California. Patient education materials offering explanations of the conditions, treatment options, and self-care strategies to reduce risks in future pregnancies are also free and available in English and Spanish.
Other Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Risk Assessment
This patient handout discusses optimal spacing of pregnancies and describes the health benefits for both mother and baby of spacing pregnancies at least 18 months apart.
It is valuable for Healthy Start grantees to understand the newest recommendations for Quality Family Planning Services published by federal agencies including the CDC and Office of Population Affairs. These recommendations include how to provide family planning services so that individuals can achieve their desired number and spacing of children, increase the chances that a baby will be born healthy, and improve their health even if they choose to not have children. This webinar will review the recommendations and describe their relevance to Healthy Start grantees.
Webinar Materials:
Quality Improvement Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning
This Doula Program, targeted to low income pregnant women, provides free perinatal services, including community-based childbirth education classes, labor and delivery support, postpartum care, and instruction focusing on mom/baby attachment, extension of breastfeeding duration, and interconception care. Participants in the program have been shown to have a decreased infant mortality rate, reduced need for medical interventions during labor and delivery, and longer duration of breastfeeding their infants.
Breastfeeding Other Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning
The CDC has recommended that everyone, both female and male, develop a Reproductive Life Plan. In this webinar, we will discuss what that means for participants in Healthy Start programs and, in particular, how it applies to contraception and preconception/interconception care. The benefits of reproductive life planning on maternal and infant health, as well as every woman’s hopes and dreams, will be emphasized.
After this webinar, participants will be able to:
Webinar Materials:
Case Management/Care Coordination Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning