Wednesday, February 5, 2025
2/5/2025
Descriptive Title: OBBO-Southeast Abstract: 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43215 Christine Theresa Sander, MHA (614) 355-4738 Christine.Sander@nationwidechildrens.org $4,800,423 Nationwide Children’s Hospital, through the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (RINCH), is leading this opportunity on behalf of community partners in three Appalachian Ohio counties to reduce infant mortality, poor perinatal health outcomes, and ensure greater connection of women and families to needed supports. The United States continues to have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world (5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births), a total masking drastically higher rates in disproportionately affected populations, such as those living in certain geographic regions, racial/ethnic minorities, and teenagers. Studies have shown that both poverty and health insurance status can further exacerbate this geographical disparity. The infant mortality rate in Ross, Pike and Scioto counties reinforces these findings, with an infant mortality rate of 10.8 among those with Medicaid insurance, compared to the rate of 4.8 among those with private insurance (2019-2021). OBBO-Southeast provides an opportunity to broaden the essential focus on Ohio’s racial disparity to simultaneously attack its rural Appalachian disparity, thus decreasing the overall infant mortality rate in the 8th worst state in the country. The purpose of this application is to establish the Southeast Ohio Better Birth Outcomes Collaborative (OBBO-Southeast) to improve perinatal outcomes among women with Medicaid-covered births and their families who reside in Ross, Pike and Scioto counties. OBBO-Southeast is a collaborative of community members, healthcare providers, public health agencies and community-based organizations that will collectively identify, implement, and evaluate Healthy Start objectives informed by community voice, using quality improvement methodology. Leading cause s of infant death in the US, Ohio and in the target population in Ross, Pike and Scioto counties include birth defects, preterm birth and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, unintentional injuries and pregnancy complications. Key evidence-based strategies known to positively impact these outcomes and associated factors include access to consistent quality prenatal care and linkage to evidence-based perinatal supports. Partners will work together to drive structural change in the prenatal and pediatric care experience by aligning focus to address SDoH through the implementation of the following strategies. Cross-cutting all of these strategies, OBBO-Southeast will focus on two primary SDoH domains identified as focus areas by Healthy People 2030: (1) Healthcare Access and Quality and (2) Economic Stability. Strategies: 1. Embed Community Health Workers (CHWs) with lived experience into the prenatal and pediatric care settings to connect families to evidence-based perinatal supports and SDoH supports as a standard of care. 2. Build capacity across critical perinatal, social and health promotion supports such as group-based education, Medical Legal Partnership, evidence-based home visiting, behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment services, and Pathways Hub Model. 3. Support a cross-sector Community Consortium that improves ability to access, analyze, and disseminate perinatal outcome data, as well as align and grow the continuum of clinical care, perinatal support and social support services. 4. Grow a sustainable voice of local community members with lived experience to co-lead the Community Consortium.
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).