Healthy Start Male Initiative Program (MIP)

by Nicole Singletary, For New Pittsburgh Courier

Healthy Start, Inc. (HSI) is a public health organization whose mission is to improve maternal and child health and to reduce poor birth outcomes and infant mortality in Allegheny County. HSI believes fathers and male partners play a key role in reducing maternal and infant mortality, can help to support positive pregnancy outcomes and contribute to the ongoing health and well-being of their babies. HSI’s fatherhood program offers a variety of services and community-based activities designed to improve the health and resilience of fathers and male partners through providing health education, strengthening life skills and addressing family self-sufficiency and economic stability. In addition to home visiting and individualized case management services, the fatherhood program uses a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on evidence-based curriculum and assessment tools from 24/7 DAD and the Nurturing Parenting Program. We offer a six-week Men of Standard peer-support course that focuses on 3 R’s—relationships, responsibilities and resources—and other topics like parent communication and bonding, relationship building and general health education and prevention education classes on prenatal/postpartum care, childbirth, breastfeeding support and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The fatherhood program is a fully integrated component of HSI’s maternal and child health programming. Much of the same education that is provided to our women participants is also made available to our fathers because it is equally critical that fathers and male partners understand the risk factors and biological components associated with perinatal outcomes. Our evidence-informed approach reinforces encouragement of paternal involvement in supporting the well-being of women and children as a part of the family system. Other services and collaborative efforts include a community health advocate paid training program that focuses on improving a commitment to health, health advocacy, and addressing health disparities; working collaboratively with the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Teen ELECT Program to support teen fathers; 412 DADS, a community partnership group formed to address issues related to fatherhood and Texting for Dads, in partnership with the National Healthy Start Association, to focus on new and expectant fathers who receive information through texting about child development that spans pregnancy, infant and toddler developmental periods.

(Nicole Singletary is director of In-Home Services, Healthy Start, Inc.)

 

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