Applicant Organization Information West Central Alabama AHEC (WCAAHEC) 1100 South Cedar Avenue, Demopolis, AL 36732 Community Based Organization www.wcaahec.org Project Title: AlaRISE (Resources Information Support and Empowerment Project Goal: To improve and increase access to care for pregnant women and new mothers during and after pregnancy. Project Objectives: -Implement a comprehensive needs assessment to identify barriers to providing maternal health care and strategies for addressing such barriers with a goal of reaching 500 community and healthcare professionals by March 2025 -Expand the existing Southwest Alabama Healthcare Collaborative (SAHC) maternal care subcommittee to address barriers to and disparities in infant and maternal mortality outcomes by 25% by August 2028 -Provide outreach, education, referrals and resources on healthy nutrition to reduce risk of hypertension and support in-home hypertension management and blood pressure self-monitoring and reporting by implementing an evidenced-based CHW program across the five county service area by 2028. -Provide education, screenings and referrals for mental health and other issues and available support groups by facilitating Doula training for two CHWs by November 2025. -Facilitate 12 community-based trainings to increase awareness and education of maternal health and available resources within the community educating 500 community members . -Increase the capacity of 15 rural healthcare providers to respond to maternal health needs through training and supporting participation in AIM safety bundles -Evaluate project effectiveness and long-term sustainability strategies to support activities after funding has ceased Proposed Service Area Butler, Clarke, Hale, Marengo, Monroe Target Population Women of childbearing age, Pregnant women and New mothers Consortium Partnerships Southern Alabama AHEC: Community-based Nonprofit Monroe County Hospital: Primary and Acute Care Provider
West Alabama Mental Health: Mental Health Provider Whitfield Regional Hospital: Primary and Acute Care Provider Project Activities The project will utilize the care coordination model to build capacity, implement programming, and provide outreach, training, education, and other services for women, healthcare professionals, and community members. Expected Outcomes Enhanced and expanded access to perinatal services in the region Reduced barriers to maternal care, risks of hypertension and diabetes Increased number of women who receive prenatal/postpartum visits and other services Capacity to Serve Rural Underserved Populations in the Delta Region WCAAHEC has successfully administered community-based outreach, education and health workforce development programs to improve and expand healthcare services in rural communities since 2013. The SAHC maternal health subcommittee, is a formal continuation of strong community and healthcare partnerships established during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Implementation grants HRSA-20-031, HRSA-21-088, HRSA-22-057 and HRSA 23-030 Rural Health Network Development Program. All members of the collaborative are located in rural Delta Region counties and services will be provided to rural communities in the region. As a part of program development and implementation, the collaborative will administer a community needs assessment to gather input from rural communities. The collaborative will use structured meetings to ensure a high degree of direction, communication and goal accomplishment. Funding Preference The AlaRISE project service area is in an officially designated health professional shortage area. Funding Priority Points Requested WCAAHEC is requesting a funding priority. The proposed project will deliver coordinated perinatal health care services in the following counties with a MCTA of 20 or higher based on designated geographic primary care HPSAs: Butler, Clarke, Hale, Marengo and M
onroe.