Saturday, December 14, 2024
12/14/2024
Applicant Organization Name: Centerstone of Tennessee, Inc. Address: 44 Vantage Way, Nashville, TN, 37228-1551 Project Director Name: Rachel Ann Hanson Contact Phone Numbers: Voice: (731) 592-0820; Fax: (931) 490-1506 Email Address: Rachel.Hanson@centerstone.org Website Address: www.centerstone.org Grant Program Funds Requested: $1,100,000/yr. x 5yrs. = $5,500,000 Brief Description of Proposed Project: Centerstone’s Healthy Start Tennessee (HSTN) will improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy and reduce racial/ethnic differences in rates of infant death and adverse perinatal outcomes (e.g., low birthweight, preterm birth, and maternal morbidity/mortality). HSTN’s population groups to be served comprise pregnant women; preconception women; interconception women of reproductive age; infants/children from birth to 18 months of age; and fathers/partners with a pregnant partner or who have an infant or child younger than 18 months of age and/or are the current or former partner of an enrolled participant. HSTN will serve a Black/African American target population (i.e., the population with the highest rate of infant deaths [i.e., IMR]) within the 10-county project area (i.e., Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Franklin, Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, Montgomery, and Rutherford counties, Tennessee), which includes 8 rural counties and 93 zip codes. HSTN’s target population faces significant needs to be addressed related to high rates of adverse perinatal health outcomes and related factors. In 2021, Tennessee’s overall IMR was 6.2, 14th highest in the nation and higher than the U.S. rate (5.4). From 2019-2021, the IMR in the project area was 6.1, and infant deaths occurred disproportionately in the Black population (Black, 8.5 vs. Hispanic 6.5; White, 5.3). In that same time period, the low birth weight rate (LBW) for the Black population was 13.7% (over 1.5 times greater than the national average), and the preterm birth rate (PTB ) was 14.8% (greater than the national average). Fewer target population mothers are expected to initiate early prenatal care compared to White mothers (i.e., an anticipated 70% vs. nearly 80%), and Black mothers are nearly twice as likely to give birth with late or no prenatal care at all. The target population experiences disparities in socio-demographics and key health indicators (e.g., employment, education, income level); for example, an estimated 27% in the rural target population are without a high school diploma/ GED. Compared to the state unemployment rate of 5%, 7% in the urban target population are unemployed, with the rural target population experiencing 33% higher rates of unemployment. All project area counties rate “very high” in the maternal vulnerability for mental health/substance use. An estimated 21% of area children have special health care needs. Proposed services include direct and enabling services for 700 unduplicated participants, including family-centered, strength-based case management/care coordination services for at least 450 participants and group-based health promotion, education, and prevention activities for 250 additional participants. An additional continuum of services will be offered/made available to participants based on need (e.g., health promotion/education; preventative screening/prenatal care; referrals/linkages to clinical care/support services and navigation support to retain participants in clinical care and maintain connection to services addressing social determinants of health; behavioral health care). HSTN will convene a diverse, multi-sector state/local and community-level Community Consortium who will advise/inform strategies for providing direct/enabling services; develop cross-sector partnerships to ensure access for participants to coordinated, comprehensive maternal/child/ family medical care, education and resources; collaborate in development of consortium plan; and participate in Communities of Practice wi th other HS projects.
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).
