Chipola Healthy Start Coalition has entered REALLY exciting times. We are growing in areas of community outreach for Maternal Child Health in fulfilling our mission to reduce fetal and infant mortality and to improve health outcomes for women of childbearing age and children under the age of three. This mission cannot be accomplished alone but can be done with community partners’ assistance.

Chipola Healthy Start Coalition oversees five Healthy Start programs in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty and Washington counties. These counties are considered a maternal care desert. We have one OB provider which is Chipola Surgical and Medical Specialties Ob/Gyn. The providers are Orlando Muniz, M.D, Shahem Melek, M.D. and Jackquline Barr, APRN. Of course, our birth facility is Jackson Hospital. We pride our partnerships with them.

Recently, Chipola Surgical and Medical Specialties, Ob/Gyn have opened their doors for us to complete the Florida Department of Health Florida Prenatal Electronic Screen. We have a newly hired C&IR CONNECT Navigator that uses a recently purchase kiosk (by the Coalition) to complete the screens, which affords us the capacity to fulfill the meaning of “every baby deserves a Healthy Start”. No one is missed and each new OB client is afforded the opportunity to be referred to a home visiting program such as Healthy Start, Healthy Families and Nurse Family Partnership. The participants are informed about our Doula services (social support for prenatal and birthing mothers). TEAM DAD services for fathers. They are given the opportunity to receive these services, which aids in improving health outcomes for women and children.

Since C&IR CONNECT Navigator, Emma G. has been at Chipola Surgical and Medical Specialties, inputting Florida Prenatal Screens our TEAM DAD participation numbers have increased by 50%.