Zero Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality by 2033

Aligned Activities Funding 2019-2021

Funding to support new and existing projects that promote policy and systems change that reduce infant mortality.

In two rounds of funding – 2019 and 2021 – FLOURISH has invested ~$1.6 million in organizations that support the health of Black moms, babies and families, so our region can achieve zero racial disparities in infant mortality by 2033.

THIS GRANT POOL IS NOW CLOSED. Read more about the 2021 awardees on our blog.

Funded projects aligned with one or more of FLOURISH’s priority areas, as determined by our Community Leaders Cabinet.

Coordinated Quality Care

Co-design a model of care with community members and system leaders that provides high quality, holistic care that promotes culturally affirming practices for Black women and connects them to services and resources and community support.

  • Support the expansion of and coordination among community health worker (CHW), home visitation and doula services and their capacity to address a variety of health needs, including maternal and infant health, and mental health screening for mothers
  • Enhance existing CHW educational offerings by integrating a maternal child health component and a racial equity lens
  • Integrate promising and proven community-based practices, such as doula-supported labor, racial bias training, or mental health screening and support, into mainstream health systems in ways that respect community leadership and ownership.
  • Strengthen mechanisms to hold healthcare providers accountable for racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality, including patient feedback and complaint processes, and efforts to raise awareness of patient’s rights and empower patient advocacy.
  • Expand access to high quality, culturally-informed mental health services for Black women who are experiencing pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or post-partum difficulties.

 

Social Determinants of Health (Transportation)

Implement community-focused initiatives to improve transportation infrastructure and options for families.

  • Pilot community mobility managers embedded in community-based organizations to support Black pregnant and parenting families in accessing community-wide transportation service networks
  • Advocate for the improvement of bus stop amenities in the region, to improve access and promote health and safety
  • Develop and implement innovative neighborhood transportation solutions (e.g. delivery services, car and ride sharing, assisting with personal vehicle maintenance, etc.)
  • Raise awareness about and increase usability of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefits to Medicaid recipients
  • Identify opportunities and implement solutions to deliver healthcare to patients rather than patients to healthcare, either through telehealth or other means, to limit the need for travel via mass transit during the pandemic.

 

Social Determinants of Health (Housing)

Develop an advocacy campaign to bring awareness to the impact that poor quality housing has on the health of a family.

  • Host “Know Your Rights” trainings for tenants so that they can advocate for policy changes that promote healthy housing.
  • Advocate for policies that support responsible urban development and community-led revitalization of low-income neighborhoods that does not displace residents (gentrification).
  • Provide guidance to residents on how they can connect and partner with local elected officials to create long-term change in housing policies.
  • Advocate for policies designed to help keep low-income residents in their homes.
  • Develop pathways to increase homeownership amongst Black mothers.
  • Ensure that transitional housing addresses the needs of Black pregnant and parenting mothers.

 

Safe Sleep

Develop and implement a safe sleep campaign with messaging in accordance to the American Academy of Pediatric guidelines for infant safe sleep and in alignment with FLOURISH’s Infant Health Action Team.

  • Implementation of safe sleep campaigns which communicate effectively to expectant and new parents, making it easy for Black parents to access information, skills and resources (such as portable cribs).
  • Support the supply of portable cribs to Black families where gaps exist in the St. Louis region and coordinate referrals for such resources. Participate in a safe sleep shared measurement system to measure progress of connecting families to resources.

Please contact Laura Horwitz at (314) 624-0551 or lhorwitz@generatehealthstl.org with any additional questions.

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