UnitedHealthcare Community & State is collaborating with the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) through UnitedHealthcare’s Community Collaborative Partnership Program to address health and social needs across the U.S. This program aims to promote sustainable, community-centered solutions to reduce infant mortality and improve maternal and child health outcomes.
NICHQ, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of children and families, works with local and federal agencies to develop programs that address complex health concerns.1 As part of this collaboration, UnitedHealthcare Community & State and NICHQ are working with organizations participating in the federal Healthy Start initiative to co-develop interventions that address infant mortality disparities and advance maternal and child health. Healthy Start focuses on reducing infant mortality disparities through approximately 100 community organizations nationwide.2
Four organizations are currently supported through this initiative. The Magnolia Project, an initiative of the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, Inc., began its work in 2023, while three new organizations across the country will launch their programs in 2025. Each organization will receive up to $250K in first-year funding, with a commitment of up to three years to improve maternal health outcomes, reduce infant mortality and address health disparities within their local communities. In addition to funding, UnitedHealthcare Community & State helps to facilitate the framework to co-develop and refine programs. NICHQ’s role in this collaboration is to provide content expertise in site selection and development of an intervention and evaluation approach.
The Jacksonville program focuses on addressing upstream causes of maternal stress on individuals who are Black. The intervention supports individuals with children throughout their lives, along with local health and social care providers, through activities such as Community Circles on stress reduction, trainings on strategies to address maternal stress for social and health providers, community events to promote self-care and resilience and a local conference to promote discussions on toxic stress and communal resilience. Currently, over 90% of participants are Black, and approximately 45% are between 25-34 years old. Early findings suggest increased awareness of maternal stress factors, enhanced trust between health care providers and the community and strengthened relationships between families, communities and maternal and child health programs.
UnitedHealthcare Community & State helps to ensure comprehensive care is accessible for individuals and families. Collaborating with local organizations helps Medicaid managed care organizations address both medical needs and social drivers of health affecting entire communities. This collaboration model works to increase access to necessary care and services, regardless of financial or geographic barriers.
UnitedHealthcare continues to collaborate with trusted community organizations to expand access to essential services and drive healthier outcomes for community members nationwide.
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