Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project
Healthy Start is a community-based federal program seeking to eliminate disparities in infant mortality and perinatal outcomes by working to improve systems of community care in communities with infant mortality rates at least 1.5 times the U.S. national average.
Reducing disparities in birthing outcomes by investing in communities to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy.
Healthy Start is a community-based federal program seeking to eliminate disparities in infant mortality and perinatal outcomes by working to improve systems of community care in communities with infant mortality rates at least 1.5 times the U.S. national average. The Healthy Start, Healthy Start Enhanced and Catalyst for Infant Health Equity programs currently consist of 115 projects across the country, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C., which support improved perinatal and family health outcomes in Healthy Start communities. In a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Heath Bureau’s (MCHB) Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services (DHSPS), the Healthy Start Technical Assistance & Support Center (TASC) at NICHQ is designing and delivering exceptional capacity building training and performance support to all 115 Healthy Start programs.
Who
Healthy Start, Healthy Start-Enhanced, and Catalyst for Infant Health Equity Grantees
Our Role
The Healthy Start TA & Support Center (TASC) provides training and technical assistance (TA) to support Healthy Start (HS), Healthy Start-Enhanced (HSE), and Catalyst for Infant Health Equity projects’ ability to work with community partners to improve health and social service systems to reduce maternal and infant health disparities. The TASC’s technical assistance offerings focus on a range of topics including service delivery, maternal and infant health, father/partner engagement, community engagement, and social and structural determinants of health. The TASC works to enhance and strengthen the ability of grant recipients to implement strategies and programs that improve perinatal outcomes by increasing equitable access to quality community-based services. The TASC also works to advance the MCH health field by building efforts that address structural and social determinants of health and increase the visibility of HS, HSE, and Catalyst grantees.
Funder
The project is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Heath Bureau (HRSA, MCHB).
Other Information
NICHQ previously held the 2019 – 2024 Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project Grant.
Project Impact
External Resources
State Perinatal Quality Collaboratives
List of PQCs funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Power of PQCs
Video showing the impact that PQCs have on the communities they serve. Produced by the NNPQC.
PQCs in the News
Articles in news outlets covering state PQCs, their activities, and the people that work in the collaboratives.
Patient Safety Bundles
From the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health. PSBs are collections of evidence-informed best practices that address clinically specific conditions in pregnant and postpartum people. The NNPQC helps provide TA and support to PQCs in adopting the core AIM Perinatal Mental Health Bundle.
Perinatal Quality Collaboratives
The CDC’s landing page for PQCs, including helpful infographics, videos, and links to help explain what PQCs are, how they work, and stories, learnings, and publications that have come out of the state PQCs.
Related Content
Resources produced by the Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project project or on related topics
Meet Our Team
“In our deep organizational work to move along the Equity Systems Continuum from a Savior-Designed System to an Equity-Empowered System, we acknowledge the power of action. The potential is limitless for today’s commitments to improve the systems in which health care and public health professionals work and families receive care.”
Dana West, PhD, MHS
Project Director of Equity
Tess Pierson
Senior Project Manager
ShaylaRose Johnson
Technology & Data Systems Manager
Tatiana Egbuna
Project Manager, Health Equity Innovation
Sharon Gutu, MPH
Senior Project Manager, Health Equity Innovation
