Archive: Healthy Start in the News
January 2011
Healthy Start kicks off, helps first-time parents in Washington County
January 19, 2011
Tigard Times
Kristen Forbes
Two kick-off events were held this past week for Healthy Start, formerly known as the New Parent Network. The first, on Jan. 13, took place at the Beaverton Community Center, and the second was held at Pacific University the following day. The purpose of the events was to let people know about the plethora of resources available to first-time parents in Washington County.
Infant safe sleep techniques taught in local workshop
January 11, 2011
Independent Tribune
Robin Gardner
Safe Kids Cabarrus and North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation wants to alert the community to a free two hour training for new parents or expecting parents and anyone who works with families to learn about infant safe sleep techniques.
The two hour training, “Baby’s Easy Safe Sleep Training” (BESST), is a “Train the Trainer” workshop to increase Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) risk reduction awareness and to promote safe sleep practices among those highest at risk throughout North Carolina.
Teen pregnancy prevention alliance celebrates success
January 8, 2011
LakeWales News
Polk County’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Alliance, a program of the Healthy Start Coalition of Hardee, Highlands & Polk Counties Inc. is pleased to report another reduction in Polk teen births.
The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Alliance (TPPA) is an organized group of social service providers, educators, faith leaders, health care, business, parents & teens committed in creating an environment that supports parents and empowers youth to maximize their potential without limitations imposed by pregnancy, childbearing and parenting.
December 2010
MILLION THANKS: Thousands of troops receive holiday greetings from local church
December 24, 2010
The Times and Democrat
St. Paul Baptist Church, in collaboration with Low Country Healthy Start, recently saluted members of the military with cards for troops. A total of 1,200 handmade greeting cards were created by church members and friends.
The project was in response to A Million Thanks, a year-round campaign to show appreciation to U.S. military men and women, especially those who have been wounded in the “War on Terrorism,” past and present, for their sacrifices, dedication and service to the country.
Healthy Start board president stresses importance of parenting support
December 20, 2010
VeroNews
December is a time for reflection and to give thanks for the healthy children in our lives. The Healthy Start Coalition is one of several hundred not for profit organizations in Indian River County that strives to improve conditions for our most vulnerable citizens. Its mission is to ensure that services for pregnant women and their babies are available and accessible in our county.
Eve Samples: Prenatal care still below average in Martin, but getting better
December 20, 2010
TC Palm
Eve Samples
After years of ranking near the bottom of Florida’s 67 counties in terms of prenatal care, Martin County has finally climbed out of the basement.
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“With our relative affluence, we shouldn’t be last in anything,” said Scott Berry, executive director of the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition, which helps connect women and children with care during the earliest stages of pregnancy. Last place was where the county ranked in 2005, when only 56.2 percent of women received care in the first trimester.
Madera County First 5: First 5 program makes a difference for new parents
December 1, 2010
Madera Tribune
Chinayera Black-Hardaman
First 5 Madera County’s investment into a program targeting pregnant and new parents makes a difference in outcomes for young children in Madera County and to date proves it.
The First Parents program is a universal home visitation strategy based on the Hawaiian Healthy Start model, which uses public health nurses, supported by paraprofessionals, to provide case management services to first-time parents
November 2010
Healthy Start helps first-time parents in Washington County
November 29, 2010
The Times
Kristen Forbes
Healthy Start, formerly known as the New Parent Network, provides information, support and basic and intensive services to first-time parents in Washington County. Basic services include referrals to community services and parenting classes, as well as information about child development.
Struggling to avert baby deaths
November 28, 2010
Pensacola News Journal
Mark Obrien
The mother was sleeping; she didn’t know the grandmother had put the infant in bed with her, nor did she realize the child was under her when she rolled over. An infant sleeping on a couch rolled into a crack between the cushions. A baby in an infant seat was covered with blankets from top to toe, and his head hung down, too weak to get oxygen under the weight of the covers. All three children asphyxiated.
They’re among more than 50 Northwest Florida babies who have died sudden, preventable deaths in the past decade, says Deborah Trocki, executive director of Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition.
A local girl is trying to help the community one basket at a time
November 23, 2010
WJHG Channel 7 News
Amber Southard
Panama City – A local girl is trying to make a difference with one basket at a time. Ten year old Katie Hutt founded the program “Kidz do Kare” last year. She asked for help from the Healthy Start Coalition to help her find needy families. She started off making two baskets and this year for Thanksgiving she was able to put baskets together for four families.
November 12, 2010
Kinston
Joel Gerber
A local program sought to combat SIDS in October by passing out baby pajamas and spreading knowledge. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, according to Linda Tantawai, executive director of the CJ Foundation for SIDS.
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Education is key to decreasing the number of deaths caused by SIDS, according to N.C. Healthy Start Foundation Infant Safe Sleep Campaign Coordinator Marta Pirzadeh. The pajama program was coordinated by the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation to promote safe sleep practices for newborns and help reduce infant deaths, Pirzadeh said.
September 2010
Let’s ensure that more babies celebrate their first birthdays
September 24, 2010
The Tennessean
Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge
Happy first birthday to all of the future doctors, business women, politicians, community organizers, scientists and teachers that were born in 2009. These babies who are now learning to walk and understand the world around them will be our new leaders in a few short decades.
All of these birthday babies have one thing in common; they survived their first year of life. And for this we should all celebrate!
Broward County Healthy Coalition, Inc. sponsors parenting workshops at Carter Park
September 22, 2010
The Westside Gazette – Fort Lauderdale
Charles Moseley
Broward County has the un-enviable distinction of being among the leading areas of the country for having the highest infant mortality rate among African American babies by an almost three to one rate. Three years ago The Black Infant Care Practice Committee of the Broward County Healthy Start Coalition decided to address the issue by launching a program designed to help educated parents on child safety procedures and prenatal practices to insure that they have healthy and happy babies.
They’ve got the golden shoes
Efforts help kids start out on right foot
September 21, 2010
The News Press
Francesca Donlan
You have to love babies and their mothers to win this award.
The Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida is hosting the inaugural 2010 Golden Baby Shoe Awards this week to celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals who help give babies a healthy start in life.
‘GIVE BACK’: Actress, author encourages self-empowerment, ambassadorship in fight against infant-mortality
September 21, 2010
The Times and Democrat
Dionne Gleaton
A strong network of supportive ambassadors dedicated to giving back is needed in communities where a considerable number of babies are dying before their first birthday, award-winning actress Victoria Rowell says.
Infant Death Rate Unchanged
September 20, 2010
Wilkes-Journal Patriot
Wilkes County, NC–While the state’s infant mortality rate dropped from 2008 to 2009, Wilkes County had five infant deaths both years. According to data released today by the Wilkes County Health Department, the state had 7.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births and Wilkes County had 7.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009. Wilkes County’s rate was 6.4 in 2008.
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Programs like the N.C. Baby Love Plus Program, a federally-funded Healthy Start Initiative in 14 North Carolina counties, continue to address the racial disparities that affect infant mortality, targeting issues ranging from domestic violence to lack of prenatal care.
LCHS awareness luncheon slated for Sept. 17
September 14, 2010
The Times & Democrat
Dionne Gleaton
An awareness luncheon is among the ways a local maternal wellness program is focusing attention on infant mortality rates in South Carolina, particularly among blacks.
September is National Infant Mortality Awareness Month, and Orangeburg-based Low Country Health Start has been championing the issue in Allendale, Bamberg, Hampton and Orangeburg counties since 1997.
August 2010
Profile: Social worker, therapist Marguerite Morgan
August 22, 2010
Grand Rapids Press
Terri Finch Hamilton
Marguerite Morgan, wearing her trademark purple, is on the couch in Capucine Hampton’s small apartment, hearing about the reality of the struggling mom’s life.
June 2010
Louisville gets grant to promote racial ties
Health department to receive $400,000 from foundation
June 10, 2010
The Courier-Journal
Sheldon S. Shafer
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness has received a $400,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for efforts that include a workshop series designed to promote racial healing in the community.
April 2010
Monday Moms – Text4baby
April 12, 2010
WALA-TV “FOX10” in Mobile, AL featured text4baby in its Monday Moms segment, which aired on April 12. The segment highlights some of the key health messages that women can expect to receive after signing up for the service. In an interview discussing the service and her clients, Kelly Warren with the Mobile County Health Department said, “It may bring in topics and information that they hadn’t thought about before — and encourage them to have conversations with their physicians, with their OBs, that they would not have had otherwise.”
Watch the video.
January 2010
Manatee woman turns spokesperson to help others avoid her pain
January 10, 2010
Bradenton.com
Timothy R. Wolfrum
MANATEE — The small, glass plaque Sherkendra Burch keeps for her late daughter describes the peace she has found more than two years after losing her baby.
“A mother holds her child’s hand for a short time but their heart forever,” it reads.
It has been a long journey to that hard-won peace for Burch, a 22-year-old Bradenton woman who is vowing to help other mothers avoid a similar pain.
World’s Biggest Baby Shower
January 9, 2010
WJHG News Channel 7
PANAMA CITY-Hundreds of women came out on Saturday afternoon to what is hailed as the World’s Biggest Baby Shower.
Parents can reduce SIDS risk by placing babies on their backs
January 7, 2010
Courier Journal
Darla Carter
Experts worry that parents are becoming complacent about putting babies to sleep in the right position — on their backs — to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
A recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found the use of the practice has plateaued since 2001, partly due to concerns about babies’ comfort and unfounded fears that babies will choke while on their backs.
Family Health Centers expands hours, services
January 5, 2010
MLive.com – Kalamazoo News
Stephanie Esters
KALAMAZOO — The Family Health Centers of Kalamazoo, which provides care primarily for Medicaid clients and the uninsured, is expanding its hours and services in response to community need.
December 2009
Nurses Work to Prevent Infant Mortality in U.S.
December 7, 2009
Nurse.com
Janet Boivin, RN
A study released in November confirms that prematurity in babies is the reason the U.S. scores so poorly in infant mortality compared to other developed nations — a truth most health experts say is a national disgrace. After decades of improvement, the U.S. infant mortality rate plateaued from 2000 to 2005 and had an insignificant decrease in 2006 from 6.86 to 6.71 per 1,000 live births, despite numerous national, state, and local efforts.
Shower aims to educate women on healthy babies
December 4, 2009
Tallahassee.com
Iricka Berlinger
The Chi Theta Zeta Graduate Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. is throwing a baby shower this weekend, but the moms-to-be should expect to receive much more than baby gifts.
November 2009
Giving birth to hope: Polk teen pregnancy numbers fall
November 30, 2009
NewsChief.com
Donna Kelly
WINTER HAVEN – The statistics are daunting.
Every week, 20 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth in Polk County. Every three weeks, one child 10 to 14 years old has a baby of her own.
Care showered on families of premature babies
November 27, 2009
Tampa Bay Online
Yvette C. Hammett
BRANDON – On any given day, dozens of families could wind up in special maternity units, delivering babies weeks or months early.
Their plans for finishing up the nursery, preparing for child care or attending their own baby showers fall by the wayside as they wait for news that their premature babies are well enough to go home.
Needy metro Detroit families get help with costly diapers
November 26, 2009
Freep.com
Eric D. Lawrence
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital in Pontiac has been awarded a $10,000 grant that will help families meet a need that often goes ignored by service providers: the cost of buying diapers.
The grant, from the Philip and Elizabeth Filmer Memorial Charitable Trust, will be used to supply diapers to 250 needy families, said Melissa Freel, director of the hospital’s Healthy Start/Healthy Families program.
Martin is making progress on prenatal care, but it has a long way to go
November 21, 2009
TC Palm
Eve Samples
Dead last.
Of the 67 counties in Florida, that’s where Martin County ranked four years ago when it came to prenatal care for women in their first trimester of pregnancy.
Almost half of pregnant women here did not see a doctor during their earliest three months with child — a crucial period for ensuring babies are born healthy.
Fundraiser to benefit area families in need
November 12, 2009
Herald Tribune
Jennifer Shea
The White family has long supported Girls Inc., Manatee Healthy Start and Children First with Project Claus, their charitable holiday mission.
October 2009
Florida’s 2.6 Million Medicaid Recipients Can Now Access Their Personal Health Records Online
October 28, 2009
WMBB News 13
Associated Press
Florida’s 2.6 million Medicaid recipients can now access their personal health records online and the state assures those patients that their personal information is safe on the Internet.
Fundraising has down side in Hawaii economy
October 26, 2009
Honolulu Advertiser
Christie Wilson
Fundraising campaigns to offset severe state budget cuts have generated a wave of good will and community support for certain programs in the short term but could have unintended consequences, according to public policy experts and program officials.
Fair puts health in focus
October 23, 2009
The Famuan Online
Asthon Wilkins
More than 25 local and national organizations set up booths displaying a variety of health information at the Florida A&M Health Fair.
A Wonderful Mystery
Black infant mortality has plummeted in one Wisconsin county. Why?
October 22, 2009
Newsweek.com
Eve Conant
Last fall epidemiologist Cynthia Ferre got some of the best, but most mystifying news of her career. Ferre, who works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, knows all too well that the U.S. has one of the worst infant-mortality rates in the developed world, with preterm African-American babies almost four times as likely to die as infants than white babies. So why had the black-white infant-mortality gap apparently disappeared in one county in Wisconsin, a state with some of the worst infant-mortality rates in the nation for blacks?
Program faces cuts to budget
‘Healthy Start’ considers redesigning its services
October 7, 2009
Statesman Journal
Ruth Liao
Anjuli Clark, 24, of Keizer, was worried when her 16-month-old son Bradley wasn’t sleeping through the night. Colleen Spencer, who works with the social services program Healthy Start, suggested a nighttime schedule for Clark and her husband to get Bradley through a full night.
September 2009
County’s infant mortality rate high
September 24, 2009
McDuffie Mirror
Lynn Davidson
No, it wasn’t officials airing their dirty laundry. But motorists going down Main Street recently might have been surprised to see a clothesline on the lawn of the McDuffie County Courthouse in Thomson.
Actually, the line of baby-sized T-shirts was put there to convey a message about the high rate of infant mortality in McDuffie County. A total of 47 infants have died before their 1st birthday in the last 10 years in McDuffie County, said Jodi Hudgins, the clinical services director for Enterprise Community Healthy Start Initiative.
Disparity exists in infant deaths
September 20, 2009
Democrat and Chronicle.com
Anita McCarthy
In 2008, 61 babies in Monroe County never celebrated their first birthday. Since 2004, the three-year rate for infant mortality in Monroe County has increased from 7.2 to 7.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. The majority of those babies were African-American.
Richmond infant-mortality rates decline
September 17, 2009
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Tammie Smith
Fewer infants died in Richmond last year than the previous year, and city health officials credit a comprehensive effort involving multiple city agencies and community partners.
Infant Mortality Rates on the Rise
KSBI-TV52
Oklahoma City — Community leaders say infants in our region are dying at an alarming high rate. A conference to address the infant mortality rate got started on Monday.
Improving Birth Outcomes and Reducing Infant Mortality is Conference Focus
Health Department Announces Initiative: Preparing for a Lifetime, It’s Everyone’s Responsibility
For Release: September 10, 2009
Contact: Pamela Williams
http://www.ok.gov
In an average week in Oklahoma eight babies die before reaching their first birthday. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) and the National Center for Health Statistics, Oklahoma ranked 41st in the United States for infant deaths in 2006. With that in mind, the Southwest Region Healthy Start Conference, Sept.14-16 in Oklahoma City, is featuring national and local speakers to address “Improving Birth Outcomes for Our Communities.”
Family health is key to preventing infant deaths
September 10, 2009
Clarksville Online
Nashville – As part of the observance of National Infant Mortality Awareness Month, the Tennessee Department of Health is working to remind Tennesseans of the importance of preconception and prenatal care and is working toward ensuring that every child born in Tennessee reaches his or her first birthday.
Oregon Partnership uses Every Child Ready to Read @ your library
September 10, 2009
Association for Library Service to Children Blog
Katie Anderson
The Oregon State Library and Oregon Commission on Children and Families have partnered together to provide training for 300 children’s library staff and Healthy Start family support workers in an adapted Every Child Ready to Read, bilingual language development, media literacy, working with children with special needs, and working with low-literate/illiterate parents.
Thanks for the support
September 9, 2009
The Tampa Tribune
Lenora Lake
TAMPA – Dolores Charbonier went into the Town ‘N Country Family Resource Center four years ago looking for some activities and information.
Now she has become a volunteer, is active on the center’s parents executive committee and gotten her 13-year-old daughter, Angelic, to also volunteer. And before becoming a volunteer, Angelic went to the center for tutoring help.
Is your child’s car seat safe?
September 5, 2009
The Dallas Morning News
Nancy Churnin
According to new Texas car seat regulations, kids ages 8 and younger need to be in a car seat (the old law only required 4 and younger to be in a car seat).
McGovern Helping Healthy Start
September 4, 2009
Telegram.com – Letters to the Editor
George Mike Portuphy
I am the director of the Worcester Healthy Start Initiative, which partners with community agencies to reduce infant deaths in Worcester. I am writing to raise awareness about infant mortality and to thank U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern for his strong support of WHSI.
August 2009
TSU Working with Healthy Start Program to Recruit New Mothers
August 26, 2009
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is one of three colleges in Middle Tennessee partnering with the new Federal Healthy Start Program to make college education accessible to new mothers.
Gadsden’s Healthy Start program receives $3.75M
August 26, 2009
Tallahassee.com
Angeline J. Taylor
QUINCY—Congressman Allen Boyd, D-Monticello, delivered what he called “great news” to Gadsden County’s Center for Health Equity on Tuesday.
He said the county’s Healthy Start program, known as Gadsden Woman to Woman, has received a $3.75 million in federal funds. The money will help the organization continue for an additional five years, Maurine Jones, CEO of the Center for Health Equity, said.
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