Brown, Burr, Stabenow, Ernst Introduce Bipartisan
Legislation to Renew Healthy Start Program, Reduce Infant
Mortality Rate
Program Works to Reduce
Racial Disparities in Birth Outcomes, Has Helped Reduce
Infant Mortality Rate for Participants
U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown
(D-OH), Richard Burr (R-NC), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Joni
Ernst (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to
reauthorize the Healthy Start program. Healthy Start aims to
reduce the national infant mortality rate by identifying and
supporting communities with infant mortality rates that are
at least one and a half times the U.S. national average or
increasing above the national average. Companion legislation
is also being introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan
(D-OH-13), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16), Lauren Underwood
(D-IL-14) and Steve Stivers (R-OH-15).
"Despite having some of the
finest doctors and best children's hospitals in the country,
Ohio still falls far short when it comes to infant
mortality, ranking an abysmal 41st in the country. And we
have a serious problem with racial disparities in birth
outcomes - black infants die at three times the rate of
white infants in Ohio, and we rank near the bottom in deaths
of African=American infants. We need to support our
communities with the tools and resources they need to
empower moms and their families," said Senator Brown.
"North Carolina historically
has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the
nation," said Senator Burr. "The Healthy Start program plays
an important role in removing barriers to health care and
education resources for mothers and babies in need. I am
proud to work with Senators Brown, Stabenow, and Ernst on
this important reauthorization to keep our children healthy,
and look forward to working with my colleagues to move this
important legislation through the Senate."
"Every family deserves the
care and resources they need to take care of their children,
regardless of their zip code. However, infant mortality
rates are too high in our country and worse for low-income
areas and communities of color. The Healthy Start program
offers the education, health care, and resources we need to
save lives and make our communities stronger," said Senator
Stabenow.
"Having access to health
care services is something that weighs on the minds of
families across Iowa, especially those expecting a little
one," said Senator Ernst. "Prenatal and post-partum care, as
well as nutrition support for moms and children, are an
important part of reducing infant mortality, and programs
like Healthy Start are giving states like Iowa the resources
needed to reduce barriers and increase access to care."
The Healthy Start Program
serves communities with high rates of poverty, low
education, and limited access to care, in addition to other
socioeconomic conditions. Racial and ethnic minorities
experience disproportionately high rates of pre-term birth
and infant death. Nationally, African-American mothers die
at three-to-four times the rate of white mothers, and black
babies are twice as likely to die as white babies. By
improving access to quality health care and services, the
Healthy Start program has helped to address these
disparities and reduce infant mortality rates among its
program participants to 5.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live
births, which is lower than the national average.
The Healthy Start program
aims to reduce the infant mortality rate by providing
federal grant funding to sites providing services that focus
on empowering women and their families and reducing negative
birth outcomes.
The Senators' bill, the
Healthy Start Reauthorization Act, would:
* Reauthorize the
Healthy Start Program for five years (FY2020 through
FY2024);
* Encourage
coordination with the community in which grantees are
located and expand the criteria used to evaluate Healthy
Start projects, including how projects have impacted infant
mortality rates and perinatal and infant health outcomes;
* Instruct the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) to issue a report
detailing the allocation of the Healthy Start grants,
progress in meeting the evaluation criteria, and
improvements in health outcomes for program participants.
Women and their families may
be enrolled into a Healthy Start program at any stage of
pregnancy - pre-conception, inter-conception, and
post-conception. Each enrolled family completes a
comprehensive assessment that captures multiple demographics
such as physical and behavioral health, housing, employment
and domestic violence risks. Healthy Start families are able
to receive varying health care, and public health services,
including prenatal and postpartum care, parenting
skill-building, case management and job training.
The program has grown from
15 sites providing services in 1991 to 100 sites across 37
states in 2016. The Healthy Start Reauthorization Act is
supported by the American Congress of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
The Healthy Start Program
was established as a pilot program by President George H.W.
Bush in 1991 as a program of the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS). Healthy Start is the
federal government's primary program to reduce infant
mortality.
|