Florida Times-Union reporter Beth Reese Cravey spoke with our CEO Faye Johnson and other community and civic leaders about our local area’s “long battle against a stubbornly high infant mortality rate.” Although Duval County’s overall infant mortality rate has improved over the past four years, there are still a number of disparities in certain ZIP Codes. Thankfully maternal and child health is a priority for the Jacksonville City Council and Mayor Donna Deegan, who has appointed a special committee focused on maternal and child health. As Johnson says, “Infant mortality is an indicator of the health of a community and it’s going to take the community to bring awareness to the underlying causes of these babies’ deaths and inspire action to make sustainable changes.”
Empowerment and advocacy in the Healthy Start community
Teleauba Revels has triumphed over personal challenges, reshaping her life into a journey of empowerment and advocacy within the Healthy Start community and beyond. As a participant in NEFHSC’s Azalea Project, she absorbed valuable information and diligently followed suggestions. In 2016, she enrolled in our 16-week Make a Difference Leadership Academy, marking a pivotal moment in her journey. That same year, she earned a nomination for a seat on the board of directors. In 2018, she assumed the role of board secretary and actively engaged in the community advocacy and public policy initiatives.
Our board and staff extend warm congratulations to Teleauba , a proud mother of seven-year-old Braxton, for her remarkable accomplishments. She has been awarded the prestigious Delores Auzenne Fellowship and graduated with honors, earning her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of North Florida.
NEFHSC introduces new doula program
A doula is a non-medical trained person who has direct contact with pregnant women and their families and advises on matters of health education during the perinatal period. Doulas provide in-home health care education to the pregnant mother, husband or significant other, and immediate family members.
They are present with the mother throughout the labor process and up to one hour after birth. Doulas also visit the mother and newborn baby at home during the postpartum period. More than 40 women have been trained through our program to provide labor support across Northeast Florida with more classes being planned soon. More details available on our doula collective webpage.
Magnolia Project one of 100 organizations awarded HRSA grant
Thanks to new funding awarded by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), the Magnolia Project, our federal Healthy Start program focused on preconception health and mitigating stress for healthier birth outcomes, will continue making an impact for women and their families in Duval County ZIP Codes 32208, 32209, 32210, 32211 and 32277. More than 100 community-based organizations working to improve maternal and infant health received $105 million, with funding addressing needs in communities with infant mortality rates that are 1.5 times the national average or greater. Read more about HRSA’s Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative.
Renewed focus on the ABCs of safe ZZZ’s
In Duval County, 80 babies have died over the past five years (2018-2022) due to unsafe sleeping conditions, most of which were preventable. In 2022, nearly 22 percent of infant deaths in Duval County were sleep related; the most common cause being babies accidentally suffocated by bedding or another person while bedsharing.
To help mitigate this trend, the NEFHSC, with support from the Kids Hope Alliance recently launched the ABCs of Safe ZZZ’s, a social marketing campaign in Duval County encouraging parents, caregivers and siblings to know and implement the ABCs of safe sleep practices: for every sleep, babies should be placed Alone, on Back and in a Crib. The campaign runs through Sept. 30, 2024 and includes safe sleep training and other resources.