In 1991, healthcare providers in the U.S. didn’t understand why certain areas of the country were experiencing more and more infant mortality and low birthweight babies.
However, what they did know was these things were happening to minority women and low-income White women the most.
To help figure out why — and stop the upswing — the United States Health Resources and Services Administration founded a national program called Healthy Start, which included 15 national sites — including one in Allegheny County.
Today, Healthy Start serves about 104 projects in 39 states, Washington, D.C, and Puerto Rico — and Healthy Start Pittsburgh has become a regional powerhouse for marginalized people.
The organization supports women, children, fathers, families, and neighborhoods thru community-based programming, systems coordination, advocacy, research, and training for Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
The goal is to make sure all families have access to affordable, quality care that improves maternal and child health outcomes and quality of life — at no charge.
The Healthy Start Pittsburgh team is made up of experts in areas that support birthing people and their babies. These people include health counselors, lactation support specialists, Lamaze teachers, Doulas, nurses, mental health experts, researchers, and public health advocates and workers.
The team works with residents, medical providers, social service agencies, businesses, and faith-based organizations, like churches, temples, and mosques. They focus on three areas.
The first area is to positively impact health behaviors and experiences of pregnant people who are at an increased risk for poor birth outcomes.
The second area centers on improving birth outcomes, such as reducing the rate of premature and low birthweight births.
The third area spotlights working as a team to make improvements in how healthcare providers organize and deliver services — ideally in a transformative way.
For more information about all that Healthy Start Pittsburgh offers to Black families, visit healthystartpittsburgh.org or call 1-412-247-4009.
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