Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program - The Sierra-San Joaquin Perinatal Health Partnership (SSJPHP) proposes a community- driven pilot project implementation initiative aimed at addressing maternal health disparities in the underserved rural areas of Calaveras, Mariposa, and Tuolumne counties in Central California. This region, which faces consistently poor maternal health outcomes and severe clinical care shortages, suffers from challenges in accessing essential perinatal healthcare services, contributing to higher rates of negative maternal and infant health outcomes. This project will focus on improving maternal health by assessing perinatal care needs, strengthening local coalitions, bolstering critical maternal and perinatal data collection mechanisms, and implementing innovative perinatal health service delivery models, through various modalities, such as telehealth and mobile clinics. The initiative will leverage a modified version of the Nurse-Family Partnership Model, and will leverage community health workers (CHWs) and doulas in place of traditional clinical providers. These modifications aim to address workforce shortages and transportation barriers while providing culturally competent, community-driven care. Target populations include rural, underserved birthing persons over the age of 18 living in Mariposa, Tuolumne, or Calaveras Counties. The project will specifically aim to address the needs of those from low-income and marginalized communities who face barriers to accessing timely prenatal, postnatal, and maternal mental health services. The project will engage local health departments, regional public health organizations, and community partners to strengthen the capacity for data collection and expand access to care. Goals of the SSJPHP include: (1) Assessing perinatal care needs and maternal health outcomes across the service area, (2) Strengthening local coalitions and service delivery modalities, (3) Implementing community-based pilots to improve maternal health outcomes, and (4) Evaluating pilot impacts to ensure sustainability. Expected outcomes of the SSJPHP include improved maternal and perinatal health outcomes such as increased access to prenatal and postnatal care, improved breastfeeding initiation and duration, reduced cesarean section rates, and lower rates of postpartum depression and anxiety, though final outcome measure choices will rely heavily on the expertise of community coalitions and residents with lived experience. The initiative will also result in enhanced community engagement, strengthened data collection mechanisms, and an increased understanding of sustainable and replicable models for improving maternal health in rural areas. The SSJPHP Consortium is made up of the Central California Public Health Consortium (CCPHC) , Mariposa County Health and Human Services Agency, and Tuolumne County Department of Public Health, and intends to also formally include Calaveras County Public Health post-award. This partnership builds on a decade of successful collaboration between local health departments and regional organizations, with strong expertise in community-driven healthcare initiatives to improve health outcomes and health equity. This proposal qualifies for a funding preference under Qualification 1: Health Professional Shortage Area.
