Healthy Start Coalition marks 30 years of improving lives for infants

In recognition of lifesaving and life-changing improvements to the health at-risk moms and babies in Floridians, Florida’s Healthy Start Program is commemorating its 30th Birthday with a series of statewide events.

In Leon County, the Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition will celebrate their impact on infant life expectancy and the health of mothers and babies with a 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, press conference, a 30th birthday celebration, and a demonstration/training of life-saving Infant CPR by Leon County EMS paramedics.

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Speakers will include Leon County Commission Chair Bill Proctor, Leon EMS Chief Chad Abrams, Capital Area Healthy Start Executive Director Chris Szorcsik, State Healthy Start Executive Director Cathy Timuta, and legendary champion for Florida’s children, Jack Levine, founder of 4Generations and recipient of the 2020 Chiles Advocacy Award.

Healthy Start is a critical part of the umbrella and safety net for the maternal and child health system of care in Florida. Championed by then-Governor Lawton Chiles and First Lady Rhea Chiles, Healthy Start was officially created by the Florida Legislature in 1991 to address the alarming rates of infant mortality and precariously low birth weights in Florida, and to remove systemic barriers to prenatal and early childhood health care.

Connecting with moms-to-be

Today, Florida’s 32 Healthy Start Coalitions are successfully implementing systems of prenatal care in every community, as well as providing services for postpartum women, young children up to the age of three, and their families.

In Leon County, the Healthy Start Coalition works to launch a lifetime of health through an integrated system of care. The process starts with a universal risk screening. This assessment is used throughout Florida, and plays a crucial role in identifying families in need at the earliest point possible – from the first prenatal appointment through the delivery of the baby.

According to the Capital Area Healthy Start Executive Director Chris Szorcsik, “Healthy Start works to connect with all local moms-to-be. Through a simple screening process, we determine what risk factors may be present, and how we can help – it’s an easy and highly effective process.

Our services are provided at no cost, and run the full range – from providing emotional support and wellness counseling to hands-on home visits and other types of direct care, including our Infant CPR Training, we want to serve as a true safety net. And for our moms and babies who need it, we provide support and help for up to three full years.”

Reduction in infant mortality

Since Healthy Start was created, more than 6.6-million babies have been born in Florida. One measure of Healthy Start’s success has been a 32-percent reduction of infant mortality during the last three decades of service. If the death rate today remained the same as it was in 1991, 638 more babies would have died last year. That is the equivalent of approximately 30 kindergarten classes.

Last year

• 136,778 pregnant women completed the universal risk screening, and 198,489 infants were screened out of 207,730 infants born.

• More than 129,000 pregnant women and 84,000 babies, and their families received a service from Healthy Start in any of our programs.

Last year, the outcomes for pregnant women who received Healthy Start home visiting services per the model design* include:

• 90% of babies were born full term (Florida average 89.4%)

• Infant mortality rate was 2.77 per 1,000 live births (Florida average 6.0)

• 100% were screened for depression

• 84% of mothers who smoked quit or reduced their use

• 87% kept their postpartum visit

As noted by Cathy Timuta, Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions, “These statistics represent dramatic improvement in the health of moms and babies – a vitally important outcome, particularly when considering the resources that are need to care for moms and babies with health challenges. From increased full-term births to decreased infant mortality, Healthy Start is truly changing lives for the better. These outcomes are even more impressive when you consider that the Healthy Start program is designed to identify mothers and infants who are already at a higher risk for poor outcomes than the general population.”

Jack Levine, founder of 4Generations Institute and recipient of the 2020 Chiles Advocacy Award, is a staunch Healthy Start ally. “It’s important to remember that there was a time when at-risk mothers in Florida struggled to find the support and resources necessary to deliver a healthy baby. Thanks to Healthy Start and its 30-year record of success, significant progress has been achieved. The valuable partnerships which contribute to this success deserve to be honored and supported so every at-risk mother in Florida can receive the care she and her family needs to birth healthy babies.”

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Healthy Start marks 30 years of improving lives for babies, moms