About
The Northeast Florida Healthy Start Maternal and Child Health Policy Center (MCHPRC), established in 2022 via funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), advances evidence-based policies to address infant health equity. The NEFHSC is one of four Healthy Start organizations across the country that are part of the multimillion, five-year effort aimed to help reduce disparities in maternal and birth outcomes and other significant issues outlined by HRSA’s Maternal & Child Health Bureau. The policy center’s goal is to move beyond individual-level direct service to holistic systems changes with the intent to alter the social, physical and economic environment that shapes health behaviors and outcomes.
Focus Areas
The six areas of focus include:
- Decreasing infant mortality
- Increasing enrollment in the Make a Difference! Leadership Academy
- Adolescent preventive health services
- Family planning
- Improving physician-patient communication
- Increasing the number of women receiving prenatal care
Convening Group
The MCHPRC works closely with the Maternal Infant Child Adolescent Health Committee (MICAH) which includes: