2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
DEAR PARTNERS & FRIENDS
This past year has been unprecedented for Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc. and the world in general. In spite of the current worldwide pandemic we’ve had many gains for families and maternal and infant health. Fall of 2019 kicked off with the agency being honored by the American Academy of Pediatrics with the Child Advocacy Award! Next up, Baltimore Healthy Start was the proud recipient of a Merck Safer Childbirth Cities Grant. In October of 2019 the agency was awarded $989,000 for three years. With these grant funds, we will use a four-fold approach to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and improve birth outcomes. We are partnering with the Baltimore City Health Department and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to establish a local severe maternal morbidity review, to learn how the health care and social support systems can work better to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality; with the Preeclampsia Foundation and Maryland Hospital Association, we are working to bring the stories of Baltimore women who have suffered maternal health complications to hospital clinicians and administrators through a Patients as Partners initiative designed to improve the quality and responsiveness of maternity care; with Total Health Care, we will launch dyad health care visits where mothers are seen for postpartum care and monitored for maternal health complications when they bring their babies in for well-child visits; and we have implemented a Maternal Health Monitoring Intervention for our clients in order to identify early and respond appropriately to any maternal health issues that arise. We were also able to increase our services to fathers by adding an additional Fatherhood Engagement Specialist to meet the specific needs of our dads. We now have a two-man team that meets with dads to help them develop their own care plans. Our fatherhood services offer monthly fatherhood groups, fatherhood special events for the community, court advocacy, parole and probation support guidance for self-sustainability, and overall care coordination through linkages to other community resources. In 2019, 82.2% of pregnant moms in the program indicated the father was involved! We continue to make great strides in supporting moms who make the decision to breast feed. In 2019 82.5% of our moms initiated breastfeeding this is an astounding 61.5% increase over the previous year! In addition, in 2019 we were pleased to welcome our new Community Action Network Coordinator (CAN) on board as well. This position is funded through 2024 and will provide the consistent leadership our CAN needs to continue to grow, flourish and engage our parents in advocacy for themselves and their communities. Growth continues to be a priority for us at Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc. The Leadership Team, Staff and Board of Directors appreciate your continued support. They say it takes a village to raise a child – we are so happy to have you as a member of our village. Our babies are truly more precious than gold.
Warm Regards,
Lashelle Stewart
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2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
BALTIMORE HEALTHY START
WHO WE ARE Established in 1991 as a 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation by the Baltimore City Health Department to implement the original federal Healthy Start infant mortality reduction initiative, Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc. promotes health and wellness by providing expecting and new mothers and their families with the health care and resources they need to nurture their children. We believe in community health workers and peer models of improving health. Our recruiters, most of whom live in the communities they serve, meet women at their doorsteps and enroll them in a program that provides support through all stages of their maternal life: from preconception to pregnancy to postpartum, between pregnancies, and during a child’s first few years of life.
WHAT WE DO • Prevent infant and maternal deaths • Transform families — emotionally and educationally • Provide local and national leadership regarding social determinants of health, family resiliency and health We offer: The Federal Healthy Start program is the foundation of our services. We offer home visiting, wellness services including: family planning (in home or at the center), preventive screenings to identify early pregnancy complications (IPV, smoking etc.), mental health and other health screenings, with appropriate referrals, Belly Buddies, and Sister Circle Family and community engagement, such as transportation to health care appointments and center services; child-care for parents during classes/events at the center; GED classes; a Parent Leadership Group; a store; monthly events and more. Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc. recruits pregnant and postpartum women with a child less than six months old to a Neighborhood Health Advocate, a staff member who performs home visits and provides necessary, individualized support to the family until the newborn reaches 18 months of age.
WHERE WE ARE We work in areas with rates of infant mortality at least 1½ times the U.S. national average and high rates for other adverse perinatal outcomes (e.g., low birthweight, preterm birth, maternal morbidity and mortality) in order to address the needs of high-risk women and their families before, during, and after pregnancy. We operate out of three locations: • Our full-service community center in East Baltimore: 610 North Chester St. • Forest Park/Walbrook: 2300 Garrison Boulevard • Total Health Care, 1501 Division St. (only for clients of Total Health Care)
2019-2020 BY THE NUMBERS
100% of moms had a reproductive life plan
97.3%
of moms did not smoke in the 3rd trimester
ZERO
infant deaths
82.5%
initiated breast feeding
2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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NEW MERCK GRANT PROVIDES MUCH-NEEDED INVESTMENT IN ‘MOM’S WELL-BEING’ Since 1991, Baltimore Healthy Start Inc. has
For the period from 2008 to 2012, for example,
been investing in the health and well-being of
the Maryland MMR was 14 percent higher than the
Baltimore’s families. We believe that our babies are
national rate. And Baltimore City ranked second in
more precious than gold, and we are committed
the state for the number of pregnancy-related and
to improving the health and well-being of infants,
non-pregnancy-related deaths in 2017.
mothers and their families by providing comprehensive, supportive services in the communities where they live.
for close to three decades to reduce those ratios and produce more positive perinatal
We are also committed to reducing all
outcomes for families. Fortunately, last
perinatal
year we received a much-needed boost
health
disparities,
including
maternal mortality, which is the leading
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Baltimore Healthy Start has been working
for increasing our efforts. In October,
childbirth health disparity between blacks and
Healthy Start was awarded a $989,000 grant from
whites in America, according to the American
Merck, as part of its national Safer Childbirth Cities
Public Health Association. In fact, African-American
Initiative. Launched in October 2018 by Merck for
women in the U.S. die of pregnancy-related causes
Mothers, Safer Childbirth Cities aims to support
at 4-5 times the rate of Caucasian women. On the
community-based organizations in U.S. cities with
local level, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) has
a high burden of maternal mortality and morbidity
consistently been higher than the national average.
to implement evidence-based interventions and
2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
innovative approaches to reverse the country’s maternal health trends. We hope this new partnership will have a major impact on the future well-being of all of our clients. “Moms are our major clients because, in order for the baby, to be healthy, she has to be healthy,” says Lashelle Stewart, Executive Director. “So, now with more funds and resources invested in mom’s wellbeing, we can address more of what's happening
see a complete picture” Maxine says. “There may be other reasons why the woman perished, like maybe she had a car accident because she was running from intimate partner violence.” Funding from Merck will allow Healthy Start and a
with both of them.”
number of partners, including delivery hospitals, the Baltimore City Health Department, The
"Moms are our major clients because, in order for the baby, to be healthy, she has to be healthy." – Lashelle Stewart, Executive Director
Preeclampsia Foundation, and Total Healthcare, to establish a severe morbidity review. The goal is to interview at-risk moms who are still alive and can share their stories in real time and possibly provide a more well-rounded picture of severe morbidity in Baltimore City. We also plan to implement our new maternal health monitoring intervention system, which we call “dyad care.”
We are planning to use the grant funds, which will be distributed over the course of three years, in a number of ways -- from developing a local Severe Morbidity Review to elevating patient experiences to improve quality of care, and encouraging
“We’ve found that our moms don't always go back for their postpartum visits or their health visits, but they bring the babies back for their checkups,” Maxine says. “So now, when they take the baby, then they'll be seen as well.”
postpartum care services to be provided alongside
We have come a long way in almost 30 years, and
pediatric visits.
are very proud of all of our efforts and achievements.
Most importantly, we want to gain a better understanding of the causes for the increase in
maternal
mortality.
Typically,
maternal
mortality reviews are data-driven and conducted anecdotally, only after the mom has died. However, that can provide an incomplete picture, says the Merck Project Director, Maxine Reed-Vance, RN, MS, Deputy Director/Director of Clinical Affairs and Quality Assurance at Healthy Start. “Examining only the medical information just gives you the border of the puzzle but what happened
For example, as Maxine points out, Healthy Start Baltimore began looking at social determinants of health long before anybody else, and we are so excited for what the future holds as a result of the Merck Safer Childbirth Cities Initiative, our partnerships, and the possibilities for improving the health and well-being of Baltimore’s families. “In terms of the services that we will be able to implement as a result of Merck’s generosity,” says Lashelle, “this grant is a big deal and we anticipate it having a large impact.”
in community fills in the puzzle and you are able to
2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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HRSA FUNDING HELPS CAN "KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING"
four years,” says Lashelle Stewart, Healthy Start’s
All Healthy Start programs across the country
-- which she calls “the collective group of hope
are required to establish Community Action Networks (CAN) to collaborate, share information and encourage advocacy. The CANs involve Healthy
Start
participants,
community-based
organizations, providers and community leaders in efforts to strengthen community service systems and address social determinants of health. Baltimore Healthy Start’s CAN includes representatives from the Baltimore City Health Department, Amerigroup, Transformation Health, B’More for Healthy Babies and representatives from its Parent Leadership Group. Since founding its Community Action Network (CAN) in 2015, however, Baltimore Healthy Start has experienced a lack of consistent funding for this key outreach program, leading to regular turnover in leadership and other setbacks. Now, as a HRSA funding for a CAN Coordinator position, that scenario is about to change. “This new grant allows us to have funding to cover a Community Action Network representative for
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Executive Director. “This is significant for us, to have consistent leadership with our CAN, which is motivated, and we want to keep the momentum going.” According to Tanay Lynn Harris, who in late 2018 became the coordinator for Healthy Start’s CAN within Baltimore” -- having a leadership role in the network gives “us the power to think through the change we want to see within Baltimore City, and society as a whole.” For Harris, the opportunity is especially unique and timely because “it intersects with what CAN members want to work on, namely the reproductive justice framework” -- discriminatory practices surrounding maternal care, mortality and morbidity prevention, as well as mental health monitoring and healing, and economic stability, for example. And it’s personal. “I've been doing this work for a little over 15 years, organizing on a grass-roots level, nationally and internationally, providing supportive and nurturing knowledge for mamas, children, families and the larger community,” Harris says. “There's a lot of overlap between Healthy Start’s CAN, my background, and the agency’s new Merck grant, and it's an ideal way to leverage that and to grow and be stronger together.”
BALTIMORE HEALTHY START
A MOTHER’S STORY: NESSIE
office, taking advantage of as many services as possible, even attending the financial
"It's not just about handing out free diapers, it's about freedom, about teaching [moms] how to fend for themselves and raise happy children..."
literacy group twice -- “That's how much I enjoyed it!” And, following the birth of
– Nessie, Mother &
her daughter, who just turned three months old, she’s maintained relationships with
BHS Participant
As someone relatively new to Baltimore, Nessie, a 37-year-old mother of two, says Healthy Start has been an unexpected “plus,” in a number of ways. For starters, soon after she became pregnant with her last child, she literally ran into the organization’s representative in her neighborhood, who handed her a packet of information. Although Nessie, who moved from Washington, DC, about three years ago, says she wasn’t seeking parenting help, she was intrigued to learn the program and resources were free and there was no obligation to join. “A lot of the information that she offered I kind of already knew, but I'm always looking for new tools or anything that I can learn to help me better cope.” So she enrolled in a few classes, including Belly Buddies and financial literacy, and, as she says, “things just took off from there.” During her pregnancy, Nessie became a frequent visitor to the Healthy Start
a few of the mothers from the parenting group. “That's a ‘plus’ for me, because not being from Baltimore, [it’s been hard] to meet new, really good people.” Nessie says another “plus” for her is discovering that Healthy Start will “meet you wherever you are and, to the best of their ability, meet your needs, whatever they may be.” They provided her with transportation, for example, along with in-home services, including expert care for her son with Autism, and they always offered food -- “and that excited me the most, because when you're pregnant all you want to do is eat.” Nessie says the biggest “plus” for Healthy Start is in its name. “It's not just about handing out free diapers, it's about freedom, about teaching [moms] how to fend for themselves and raise happy children in very functional environments. This program is most definitely a ‘plus’ for the community.”
Our moms feel supported, and Baltimore Healthy Start works with each mom to support them and their babies.
2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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A FATHER’S STORY: KEVIN "Being a father and doing what I got to do to take care of my son, that makes me feel good about myself." – Kevin, Father & BHS Participant
As any first-time father discovers, becoming a new parent can teach you lots of new things. But as both a new dad and a single parent, Kevin says he is having to learn many things he never thought he’d need to know. “It's like I'm going through what the father and the mother both go through, at the same time!” Born and raised in East Baltimore, Kevin says he’s watched other parents raise kids and thought it doesn’t look that hard. “When you have a kid, the instincts kick in, you know?” But now, because he’s handling all the parenting duties for a 5-monthold by himself, he admits it’s not as easy as it once seemed. “It took me five months to learn what to do with my son, but now I know how to nurture him and take care of a kid.” And he credits the staff at Baltimore Healthy Start for playing a huge role in the success of his education. “I've been with them ever since my son’s mother got pregnant, and they've been helping me out the whole way.” Healthy Start’s wide array of programs are designed to engage the entire family, though most new fathers typically participate in select services. Sometimes, however, fathers like Kevin need a little more help, and the child development team will tailor programs to meet their needs. Kevin says he’s also learned a lot — about his child and himself — by joining Healthy Start’s fatherhood group, which provides advice on and assistance with a range of issues fathers face. For Kevin, the group, which now provides two fatherhood engagement specialists, is most important because it’s teaching him not only how to be a good father but also about how “raising your son and being there for yourself” can make you a better person. “Being a father and doing what I got to do to take care of my son, that makes me feel good about myself.”
Baltimore Healthy Start helps prepare dads by providing baby care classes from certified childcare staff. Kevin is modeling proper
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2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
feeding with a doll.
BALTIMORE HEALTHY START
2019-2020
Bunting, Mary C.
Fraizer, Deborah
Joyner, Sameka R.
DONORS
Chance, Edward M.
Fussell, Glynis A.
Judd, Edwin J.
Chesley, Breye L.
Gainor, Patricia A.
We rely on our
Childs, Francine
Gaskins, Geneva H.
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan
wonderful donors,
Chissell, Carolyn K.
Gaskins, Vernon
and we thank them
Coakley, Frank B.
Gaughan, Denise A.
for their generosity.
Cobb, Leigh
Gillard, Leroy
Cohen, Joel
Gibbs Jr., Alphonso
Coleman, Larry G.
Goldseker Foundation
Cook, Regina D.
Gordon, Janice
Cooper, Charles R.
Griffin, Cardrienne P.
Cornish, Michael A.
Guyer, Bernard
Cover, Randy
Harris, Jean M.
Craig, Elizabeth E.
Harrison, Philip A.
Craig, Jesse
Hartzelius, Irmgard
Crooms, Rita C.
Haskins, Beatrice W.
Crosby, Barbara A.
Haughton, Lenora
Dale, Grady
Heffern, Margaret R.
Darling, Charles
Hickman, Debra
Davis, Anne S.
Hitech Services, Inc.
Day, Brendan
Hobbins, Jennette
Dennis, June
Holmes, PHD, Monica
Berkowitz, Bernard L.
Dietz, Jed
Howard, Gwendolyn M.
Bess, Margaret B.
Donovan, Timothy
Holland, Angela
Blaney, Lisa J.
Donovan, Thomas C.
Howard, Gwendolyn M.
Blount, Bridget
Dunston, Odessa
Hughes, Terrainia
Blount, Edith G.
Dyett, Elizabeth P.
Hussein, Carlessia A.
Bond, Karen Y.
Downey, Bernadette
Irvine, Jacqueline J.
Boston, Charlene C.
Ervin, Mary L.
Jakusz, Patricia
Bosworth, Gaynes
Farinholt, Kathryn
Jandorf, Ross A.
Boulware, Derrick
Farrington, Joyce
Jerkins, Sara L.
Bronner, Yvonne L.
Fastow, Peter
Johnson, Addie E.
Brown, Felecia
Field, Bruce & Lisa
Johnson, Bernadette
Brown, Michelle
Fitzgerald, Gyleen X.
Johnson, Charles S.
Brown, Susanne
Flowers, Jacquelyn
Josue, Cholet
Abrams, Leah Adams, Nicole Addison, Tyrone Adkinson, Newton Allen, Jonetta Allen, Juanita Alston, Joseph W. Antonio, Ingrid Asner, Ilene Bailey, Gail Barnes, Eugene C. & Japonica R. Barr, Kellie Benjamin Marsh & Born To Praise
Kane, Erica Kantziper, Lori Kaplan, Maury B. Kaplin, Arnold J. Kaufman, Steven Keating, Joyce S. Kennedy, Ann T. Kirk, Avisa Kitchen, Kevin E. Kreitner, Kimberly Lane, Kimberly D. Lapides, Suzanne Lawyer, Cyrus Lee, Pamika Lee, Veris R. Leonard, Yvonne Lynn, Kathryn Lubic, Ruth W. Macht, Amy Malson, Julia A. Malveaux, Floyd J. Manning, Jessie Martin, Donna Mathis, Johnnie W. Mayden, Ruth W. McCarthy, Lucille McChriston, Brenda McGowan-Smith, Vickie McMullen, Judith Medley, Lynell Mitchell, Joyce
2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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Mobley, Magda C. & Mark C. Modarressi, Anne Moore, Ralph Mt. Caramel Baptist Church Murphy, Thomas V. Nelson, Andrea New Hope Ministries Nicholls, Edward J. Novey, Michael Obrien, Pamela Okeefe, William
Smith, T Sovereign, Christina Squires, Barbara N. Stalfort, John A. Stemley, Betty Stewart, Lashelle Stewart, Pamela D. Stokes, Shirley H. Szanton, Peter & Eleanor L. Talbott, John & Susan Taylor, Penelope
Omni Elevator Co., Inc.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Orange, Rodney A.
Thomas, Anthony
Pakula, Lawrence C.
Trout, John R.
Panitz, Caroline H.
Tuttle, Lois M.
Patrick, Doristine F.
Twesigye, Joy
Pennington, Leonard J.
Tyler, Vivian B.
Phillips, Carolyn O.
Valdes-Pierce, Chelsea
Pickworth, Wallace
Walters, Ronald G.
Preller, Rita M.
Wayman, Gloria E.
Reed, Dorothy
Weeks, Francie
Reed-Vance, Maxine
Weiss, Howard
Riley, Connie D.
Welcome, Mary
Rivers, Christopher
West, James
Roberts, Carolyn M.
Williams, Bettie
Rose, Sarah
Wilson, Jane
Rothschild, Jennie
Winikoff, Stephen E.
Scott, Beatrice O.
Wolman, Susan
Scott, Shane
Wood, Hilda
Seyler, Virginia
Wood, Roslyn C.
Sharfstein, Joshua
Wyatt, Littleton B.
Shortle, David & Carole
Young, Pamela P.
Sieglein, Kelly Smith, Linda
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2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
BALTIMORE HEALTHY START
2020 FINANCIALS Total Revenue and Support
$2,493,678.78 46% FEDERAL 38% STATE 6% LOCAL 9% PRIVATE 1% INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS
OUR BOARD
1%
PRESIDENT Dorothy Reed, MBA, Chair
MEMBERS Robert Oliver Atlas, MD Bridget Blount, MA Alex Blum, MD, MPH Angela Burden, MA, BSN, RN
6%
Francine J, Childs, BS (Baltimore City Health Department Designee)
9%
Sherrice Davis Mary Sue Welcome, Esquire
46% 38%
2019/2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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610 N. Chester St. Baltimore, MD 21205 410-675-2125 (phone) 410-327-6181 (fax) baltimorehealthystart.org