The Clayton County Board of Health (CCBOH) received a three-year grant from the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter to improve birth outcomes within Clayton County. The program is entitled “Clayton County Coalition for Healthy Babies, Healthy Mothers.” The program is designed to reduce birth defects, preterm birth, and low birth weight babies among African American women of child bearing ages 15-44 living in the county.
CCBOH’s goal is to improve the perinatal status of the target population by providing increased access to healthcare, prevention/risk reduction services and educating the target population about reproductive health issues through preconception and interconception health programs. The program will also provide mothers with perinatal case management and referrals for high-risk pregnancies, education of birth order/spacing and breastfeeding support.
The Clayton County Coalition for Healthy Babies, Healthy Moms seeks to:
- Promote healthy behavioral choices and folic acid consumption among African American women of childbearing age for optimal birth outcomes through preconception and interconception group level health education sessions;
- Enroll pregnant African American women into prenatal care;
- Provide perinatal case management and referrals for high-risk pregnancies;
- Increase participation in state and local maternal child health programs (e.g. Women, Infants, and Children {WIC} Nutrition Program and Medicaid) for pregnant African American women and children; and
- Provide education on birth order/spacing and breastfeeding support for postpartum African American women
For more information about this program, please call (678) 610-7482.