Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
Camden, New Jersey, one of the poorest cities in the US, has a Black infant mortality rate that is twice the national infant mortality rate. Residents in this predominantly minority community struggle with discrimination, violence, unemployment, poor housing, chronic illnesses, stress, and trauma. The purpose of the proposed Camden Healthy Start (CHS) project, a program of the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, is to improve perinatal health outcomes and reduce racial and ethnic disparities by using community-based approaches to service delivery and facilitating access to comprehensive health and social services for birthing people, infants, and their partners and families in Camden City, New Jersey. CHS has provided comprehensive perinatal services in the largely Black and Hispanic Camden City since 1983, with HRSA Healthy Start funding since 1997. While providing services to all women in the city, CHS will target Black women because of their heightened risk for poor perinatal outcomes, especially low birthweight (LBW) births, the children of those women under the age of 18 months along with the fathers/ partners of those women and/or their children. CHS will serve no less than 700 participants yearly, which will include pregnant women, families with infants/children up to 18 months, pre- and interconception women; and fathers/ partners affiliated with CHS women, infants, and children. Family Support Specialists (FSS) will provide case management and care coordination which includes assessments, referrals, and follow up. They will provide one-on-one support, and guidance to advance families’ ability to navigate systems and improve health, meeting with families wherever they prefer—in their homes, workplaces, community centers, hospital settings and at the CHS suite. Staff engage with families around their concerns and then work to empower them, connect them to resources, support them as they make changes, and provide education to h elp them to better care for themselves and their families. To meet the needs of higher-risk clients and address generational mistrust of health systems in Camden, a registered nurse will provide clinical case management and care coordination that bridges the clinical care high-risk patients receive in clinics with clinical monitoring and triage in the home and community. CHS’s Health Educator (HE) offers families monthly workshops, childbirth and parenting education, and ongoing individual and group breastfeeding support before and after the child’s birth. Class series use evidence-based curriculum and support pre- and interconception, pregnant, postpartum, and parenting people including infants and toddlers up to 18 months. Classes provide an opportunity for fun, structured education, and peer support. The HE and registered nurse will work closely with FSS and CHW to ensure seamless services wrapped around the entire family and provide outreach and resource information. While the city of Camden has faced decades of significant social and economic challenges, there are indicators that systems changes have impacted some social determinants of health. In the last few years, the city’s economy has begun to show signs of recovery along with a reduction in crime. To help sustain and promote continuous systems changes that support health and improve birth outcomes. CHS will engage community stakeholders and community partners in a Community Consortium. The Healthy Start Community Consortium (HSCC), comprised of Camden City residents, professionals, community members, and Healthy Start participants, will develop an action plan to bring about changes in community systems to support health. The HSCC will support the work of the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review and inform neighborhoods of health disparities, infant, and maternal mortality with the goal of Healthy Start being an active participant in addressing issues that interfere with positive birth outcomes.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
