Healthy Babies Coalition

McLennan County Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait ®

Background Information

McLennan County 1 of 23 counties with highest infant mortality rates in the state

Competitive grant process through the Texas Department of State Health Services to support 12 communities

Waco-McLennan County Public Health District granted $200,000

Healthy Babies Coalition

Decrease preterm births and infant mortality in McLennan County

Raise public awareness regarding the risk factors for preterm births and infant mortality

Improve community’s knowledge regarding the importance of the last weeks of pregnancy

Increase provider support of guidelines set forth by American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

March of Dimes and the Healthy Babies Coalition have partnered to provide educational programs that have been shown to improve birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality by engaging local stakeholders, area communities and providers .

Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait (HBWW)

Partnerships and Collaborations Provider Initiatives Patient Support Public Engagement Progress Measurement

HBWW 5 Core Components

Partnerships and Collaborations

Mission: “To change a community’s knowledge, attitudes and behavior regarding preterm births, its risk factors and strategies to prevent it.”

Increase partnerships with community

stakeholders and local providers Host monthly meetings Educate members regarding ongoing issues of

concern

Partnerships and Collaborations – Expected Outcomes

Improve service coordination

Increase knowledge of available resources

Maximize opportunities for sustainability

Partners Care Net Pregnancy Center Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center March of Dimes Planned Parenthood Providence Healthcare Network Waco-McLennan County Public Health District Family Health Center Trinity AME Church Prairie View A&M Cooperative Extension Program Waco Center for Women’s Health Waco Foundation Superior Health Plan

Provider Initiatives

Think 39 – Quality Improvement Service Package Implementing a “hard stop” policy Provider Surveys Trainings- Partnered with our local FQHC to train

residents Webinars- Shared with provider contacts

regarding related topics Currently seeking opportunities to share info with

private physicians and clinical staff

Provider Initiatives – Expected Outcomes

Increased provider knowledge and skills, increased understanding of collective impact

Reduction in elective deliveries before 39 weeks

Observed Outcomes Increased awareness among providers of HBWW initiative (46% increase) Increased perception of positive impact of HBWW (26% increase) Increased preference for 39 week delivery (23% increase)

Patient Support

Target Population: African American Women 100 women of childbearing age (15-44 yrs) 76704, 76705, 76707, 76708 76710 zip codes

Becoming a Mom/Comenzando Bien Eliminating other Risk Factors

― FREE Pregnancy Tests ― FREE STD Testing

Patient Support – Expected Outcomes

Increased patient knowledge, empowered patients, early recognition of signs of pregnancy

Patient behavior: seek treatment for STD, increased early prenatal care, reduce risks for preterm birth

A total of 94 Pre-test and 86 Post-test surveys were collected. The surveys consisted of 11 measurable and 3 demographic related questions

Observed Outcomes Increased awareness of seriousness of preterm birth, low birth weight,

and infant mortality in community (over 20% increase) Increased knowledge that it is not a good idea to schedule delivery at

35-36 weeks for convenience (20% increase)

Public Engagement –Educating the Community

Media Campaign

Bus Advertisements

Billboard Advertisement

Community Events

Increased community awareness and education

Change in interactions among various

relationships

Public Engagement – Expected Outcomes

Progress Measurement Assessing Knowledge and Behavior

Community: Single-sample survey at March of Dimes event

Revealed high community awareness of preterm birth risk factors, and the majority of respondents considered preterm pregnancy as an issue in McLennan County

Pre and post test for class participants Revealed increase in knowledge and awareness about preterm birth

among Becoming a Mom participants Provider: Pre and post surveys before and after HBWW

program implementation Revealed increased awareness of the HBWW intervention and

increased knowledge of the 39 week message

Impacting Prenatal Care

Centering Pregnancy Partnership with Family Health Center and Waco

Center for Women’s Health Group prenatal care Among Centering participants in Texas, preterm birth

rate is 4.5% State average:13.1% (2010) County Infant Mortality: 4.9 (2010)

Timeline of implementation

Next Steps Implementation & Recruiting for Centering Pregnancy Continuation of Healthy Babies Coalition Applying for 2nd round of state grant funds Adapt patient intervention Strategizes to incorporate work with other partners Coming Fall 2013 Health Babies Report Helping the community understand how we can

collectively improve birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality

Thank you!