From: UNC-CH Center for Maternal and Infant Health
Need: Infant mortality is the leading cause of child death in NC. In Wake County, 90 infants died before reaching their first birthday in 2006. One out of every 7 babies is born preterm in NC.
Purpose: The goal of this program is to improve the health of women and infants in Wake County by addressing the interconceptional health needs of low-income mothers by: 1) delaying repeat pregnancy until at least 12 months after delivery; 2) addressing the special health needs of high risk mothers in the interconception period; and 3) increasing new mothers' access to well woman information and health care services.
Target Population: This project will serve low-income, new mothers who receive prenatal care from Wake County Human Services (n=5115). Intensive services will be offered to a subset of mothers within this group (n=800).
How:
- Maximize 6-week postpartum visit to reinforce health messages given to women during pregnancy, assess current health risks, and provide guidance on steps to staying well.
- Facilitate referral of new mothers to existing resources in Wake County.
- Implement continuous quality improvement methods to make any needed modifications or adjustments throughout program.
- Convene an Advisory Committee with community partners to assist in program implementation, promotion, and publicity.
Outcomes:
- Increase utilization of postpartum visit from 50% to 85%.
- Of mothers who have a postpartum visit, 100% will receive well woman focused health information.
- Of mothers who have a postpartum visit, 85% will have a reproductive plan for the next year and an appropriate contraceptive to help them achieve that plan.
- Of high-risk mothers who have a postpartum visit, 90% will receive tailored, comprehensive services to address their health and behavioral risks.
- Use program successes and lessons learned to leverage new resources to support the project and to replicate in other health systems and regions of the state.
Cost / Term: $450,702 over three years. $138,711 in Year 1.
Start - End Date: March 2009 - February 2012