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SUNNY FUTURES Healthy Start Places First in U.S.
This June the Neighborhood Centers SUNNY FUTURES Healthy Start’s postpartum-care model received recognition in Washington D.C. from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), taking first place in the Primary Care Linkages category.
"Our goal is to increase postpartum-care to mothers within 60 days of delivering their babies. Too often a mother lacks focus on her own well-being because she’s more attentive to her child’s health," says Yvette Hill, case management coordinator for Neighborhood Centers SUNNY FUTURES Healthy Start program. "As a mother’s health improves, so does the child’s."
With participation from 100 Healthy Start programs from around the country, the contest stemmed from a HRSA-mandated project running from 2009 to 2012 aimed at improving the health and well-being of women through the advancement of the quality and effectiveness of interconceptional care. The Houston team took the mission to heart and set a goal to increase the postpartum-care participation rate among Healthy Start participants in their service area by 25 percent. (View the winning results.)
"This endeavor took on a whole team effort with some of us occasionally flying to Washington D.C., participating in learning conferences, and others here at home putting the puzzle pieces together," Hill says.
So far the team is seeing the fruits of its labor. With a postpartum-care participation- rate increase from 26 to 37 percent, the team exceeded its goal by 14 percent. Needless to say, the team is proud of its work, and so is Neighborhood Centers.
Special thanks to the SUNNY FUTURES Healthy Start team, which includes:
Ashley Garrett, La Sondra Keys, Kechier Glenn, Alaina Sanderson Lopez, Reen Williams, Tawanna Baskin, Yvette Hill, Shebia Dunn, Uchenna Conley, Kaylan Henderson, and June Hanke.
Special mention to the following for their support:
Njekeh Caspa, Hope Myers, Chela Mendoza, Angela Espinoza, and Christian Parker.
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