353 Telfair Street
Augusta, GA 30901
Tel. (706)721-1040
Fax. (706)721-1048

Supported in part by project No. 2 H49 MC 00132-05-00 from the Healthy Start Initiative, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services.

The Healthy Start Initiative
 
The Augusta-Richmond County Community Partnership for Children and Families, Inc. is one of 96 communities in the United States to receive Healthy Start Initiative grants, intended to reduce high infant mortality rates and other health problems related to pregnancy and women's health. The Healthy Start Initiative focuses on the contributing factors which research shows influence the perinatal trends in high risk communities.
 
The ARCCP is currently in Year 1 of Phase IV of the Healthy Start Initiative. The phase, or project period, is four years, with $1,120,000 awarded to the ARCCP each year. This award is granted by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau through the Health Resources and Services Administration, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. With this funding, the Community Partnership will concentrate its efforts on high risk women and their infants residing in Richmond County. The three focus areas include:

1. Eliminating disparities in perinatal health.
2. Providing interconceptional care.
3. Improving women's health through screening and intervention for depression and drug abuse during and around the time of pregnancy.
 
The programs and activities offered include:
  • A community-based consortium of families, local leaders, and public and private organizations.
  • Case management and links to health care and other services for mothers and their infants.
  • Direct outreach from trained community members.
  • Health education to address risk factors.
  • A plan that mobilizes community based organizations and local, state, public and private providers to identify and address barriers to quality, family-centered services.
 
The Augusta-Richmond County Community Partnership originally received Healthy Start funding in 1997. This was a four year project focusing on 10 census tracts within Richmond County ( 6,7,9,14,15,103,104,105.4,105.5,106). During the four year project period, the Healthy Start Initiative accomplished the following:
  • Enrolled and served 353 pregnant women and 472 infants.
  • Provided interconceptional services to the 141 postpartum women enrolled in the project.
  • Coordinated case management services to ensure the total care of all pregnant and parenting women enrolled in the project, to include social and health care services (tracked for the first two years of the child's life).
  • Ensured all infants enrolled in the project received age-appropriate immunizations (tracked for two years).
  • Contributed to the reduction of low birth weight babies from 13.7% (1994-96) to 7.5% (1999).
  • Contributed to the reduction of small gestational age infants from 11.4% (1994-96) to 9.9% (1999).
  • Conducted outreach efforts designed to educate the community on the importance of prenatal care and the availability of services in the community.
  • Removed a major barrier to accessing care identified by the community through provision of transportation to appointments.
  • Increased referrals for clients to appropriate community services.
  • Developed a case management database (in collaboration with the Medical College of Georgia) that can be used by any authorized provider to track services rendered to their clients by other social service providers using the system.
  • Increased involvement of consumers in the consortium and in the perinatal health education focus group.
  • Worked with school principals and the school superintendent to identify ways to provide intense services to students who are pregnant through case management, health education, and support groups.
  • Increased public awareness efforts related to preconceptional health, the importance of prenatal care, interconceptional health, and infant health.
  • Improved coordination with local Title V programs to ensure duplication of efforts does not exist and to collaborate on programs that will effect systems changes with the Health Department, which will enhance services for women of childbearing age.
  • Implemented a Healthy Start Adolescent Program (after school and summer) in partnership with the Richmond County Board of Education and partners.
 
Beginning in 2001, the ARCCP's Healthy Start Initiative expanded its coverage to include all of Richmond County. Improvements in outcomes for 2001 vs. 2000 for Richmond County clients and non-clients include:
  • Total infant deaths (less than one year old) decreased from 41 to 31.
  • Neonatal deaths (up to 28 days old) decreased from 31 to 21.
  • Low birthweight babies (less than 2500 grams) decreased from 338 to 335.
  • Very low birthweight babies (less than 1500 grams) decreased from 77 to 72.
 
Healthy Start participants in calendar year 2002 included:
  • 207 pregnant women
  • 314 interconceptional women
  • 134 births
 
Outcomes for 2002 vs. 2001 for Richmond County clients and non-clients include:
  • Live Births with 1st Trimester entry increased slightly from 80.2% to 80.3%.
  • Post-Neonatal Mortality Rate decreased slightly from 3.0/1000 to 2.9/1000.
  • Moderate Low Birth Weight Rate (birth weight 1501 to 2500 grams) decreased slightly from 8.0% to 7.9%.
  • Very Low Birth Weight Rates (birth weight of 1500 grams or less) decreased from 2.2% to 1.7%.
 
Healthy Start participants in calendar year 2003 included:
  • 188 pregnant women
  • 297 interconceptional women
  • 259 infants
  • 119 births
 
Healthy Start participants in calendar year 2004 included:
  • 228 pregnant women
  • 318 interconceptional women
  • 332 infants
  • 131 births
 
Healthy Start participants in calendar year 2005 included:
  • 203 pregnant women
  • 308 interconceptional women
  • 326 infants
  • 107 births