Healthy Start

A healthy start for every baby begins with a healthy mother. The Healthy Start program works to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy.

What we aim to do

How we help women and their families

Local Healthy Start projects enroll women, their partners, infants, and children (up to 18 months).

What do you offer in these communities?

We help through a variety of activities. We:

• Reach out and coordinate care
  • Link parents with services
  • Help patients reach health and wellness goals
• Screen for mental and behavioral health, refer people to care, and offer care
  • Treat depression
  • Address violence in relationships
• Offer clinical and public health services
  • Care before, during, and after pregnancy
  • Immunization and health education
• Educate and train on best practices
  For Healthy Start staff, community partners, and providers

How partnering improves health care access and quality

Healthy Start programs build on existing resources to improve health care quality and access.

Every Healthy Start program has a Community Consortium. This is a group of people who work on a similar issue.

Who does this include?

It includes people who:

• Take part in the Healthy Start program
• Live in the community
• Lead in the community or state (including faith-based)
• Serve Title V
• Provide medical and social services
• Work in public health

How does this help the local community?

By partnering with people in the community, we can:

• Address gaps in service
• Create services that consider different cultures and languages
• Increase awareness of infant health issues
• Focus on other factors that affect health like steady income, transportation, education, and housing

Who else do awardees work with?

• The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Early Head Start
• Title V State Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant
• Medicaid
• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• Local health centers that provide maternity care

How is Healthy Start different from the Home Visiting Program?

The Healthy Start and the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (known as Home Visiting) both reach pregnant women and families. But, they differ in terms of both funding and approach.

How we gather data and track progress

We work with our awardees to collect data. That includes data related to the project and anyone who participates. This helps us monitor and evaluate activities.

How can I access the data?

We use the Healthy Start Monitoring and Evaluation Data System. Read the evaluation reports:

• Analysis of the Healthy Start Program of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (February 20, 2020) (PDF)
• Summary of Findings from the 2017 National Healthy Start Evaluation (October 2020) (PDF)

Where awardees can go for data and training

Training: Healthy Start EPIC Center
Data: CAREWare for Healthy Start database

Get details about recent awards

• 2022 Healthy Start Grant Awards for Community-based Doulas
• 2021 Healthy Start Grant Awards for Community-based Doulas
• 2020 Healthy Start Grant Awards to 101 projects
• 2019 Healthy Start Grant Awards (list of recipients and project areas)

Closed Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs)

2023
Healthy Start Initiative—Enhanced

2022
Healthy Start Supplement: Community Based Doulas

2021

• Healthy Start Initiative: Eliminating Disparities in Perinatal Health Supplement: Action Plans for Infant Health Equity
• Healthy Start Supplement: Community-Based Doulas

2019

• Healthy Start Initiative: Eliminating Disparities in Perinatal Health
• Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project

Contact us

Email Benita Baker, MS
Healthy Start Branch Chief