HEALTHY START BABY LOVE PLUS PROGRAM

The Healthy Start Baby Love Plus program is designed to address racial disparities in infant mortality. The intent of the program is to improve access to and utilization of prenatal and postpartum services and assure that women receive the necessary services required for a healthy birth outcome. To find out more about this program, please call 252-793-3023.

Community Health Advocates (CHA):

• Arrange for medical transportation.
  
  
• Canvas stores, beauty salons, public housing, health fairs, and community events to market women's health and infant mortality prevention.
  
  
• Provide events such as house parties/baby showers to recruit pregnant women into early prenatal care and promote importance of and availability of health and social services.
  
  
• Provide identified communities with resource informaton regarding local health and support services for pregnant and postpartum women.
  
  
• Refer women and children to resources.
  
  
• Follow-up on missed prenatal, family planning and child health appointments.

What does an Enhanced Case Manager do?

• Provide case management to high risk patients.
  
  
• Conduct assessments to determine risk of poor birth outcome.
  
  
• Provide education to improve subsequent birth outcome.
  
  
• Address health factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
  
  
• Refer to needed services and provide follow-up.
  
  
• Follow-up on postpartum depression screens.
  
  
• Develop partnerships with service and community providers to develop resources for families.

How does transportation assistance work?

Transportation is provided for eligible women and children for the following:

• Medical appointments specific to pregnancy
  
  
• Postpartum follow-up
  
  
• WIC
  
  
• Family Planning
  
  
• Well child check-ups, developmental screenings, sick care
  
  
• DSS for Medicaid or food stamps

Transportation Assistance

Medicaid recipients should use Medicaid transportation first. Healthy Start should only be used when this is not available. Gas vouchers are avaiilable if family can get someone to transport. Request must be made prior to appointment. Must provide verification that the appointment was kept to get additional vouchers. Transportation assistance also provides private drivers which are sometimes available for those who have no one to transport them. We also have contracts with cab companies.
Referral forms must be completed for any transportation request regardless of mode. This information must be reported monthly.


Who Is Eligible?

Outreach and Transportation Services:

• Women of childbearing age (15 - 44)
  
  
• Pregnant women
  
  
• Children from birth to age 2

Enhanced Case Management:

• Must have recorded MCC and have a child birth to age 2, or experienced miscarriage, fetal demise or abortion
  
  
• Target population is African American

How much does it cost?

All services are provided free of charge.


What is the Healthy Start Consortium?

The Healthy Start program is required to establish a local consortium comprised of professionals and consumers to review transportation policies and procedures for tracking and following up on missed appointments, make recommendations for improvement and advocate for system changes. There is a consortium in Martin, Tyrrell and Washington county.


How can you help?

• Let the CHA know when community events are occuring so they can attend.
  
  
• Refer clients who need transporation.
  
  
• Complete the referral form when transportation assistance is requested.
  
  
• Get the CHA to help you follow-up with clients who miss prenatal, family planning and child health appointments.
  
  
• Become a member of the local consortium.