News

OCPIM Quarterly Meeting Summary: Making Great Strides in Ohio

Aug 05, 2019

The quarterly OCPIM Meeting, a visual session, was well attended with nearly 200 participants on the phone and online. The next meeting will be face-to-face in Cleveland on October 11, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. Location and agenda to be announced.

Co-chairs Dr. Jim Greenberg and Dr. Stacy Scott kicked off the quarterly meeting with introductory remarks and then handed over the reigns to Michelle Edison, OCPIM Northeast Region Co-Lead, for an update on the OCPIM Survey and to Karen Hughes, Program Advisor at the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative and LaTonya McDowdell, Certified Community Health Worker, CLC, Moms2B Program to discuss the development of the Progesterone Messaging Toolkit and the dissemination plan. 

The remainder of the meeting was dedicated to the OCPIM Regional Updates. Here are some highlights:   

Central Region – Erika Clark Jones, Executive Director, Celebrate One and Christina Ratleff, Program Manager.

  • Healthy Beginnings at Home (HBAH) – Modeled after a successful micro pilot called CareHomes, which provided rental assistance and wraparound services to women experiencing homelessness or marginally housed. The micro pilot was extremely successful, all 11 babies, including a set of twins, have celebrated their first birthday.

CelebrateOne came together with partners to see how CareHomes could be scaled. After conducting evidence-based research and attracting the right partners, Celebrate One’s program reports:

  • To-date the program has housed 48 families
  • Approximately 92% of families found housing in a CelebrateOne priority zip code
  • As I mentioned before, 23 Families will continue to have a housing voucher after the program ends. This means they will continue to only pay 30% of their income towards rent
  • Average age of mother: 26 years
  • 48 babies have been born! The Avg gestational age is 38 weeks. The preterm birth rate is 18.7% with 87% of infants born at a healthy weight
  • No extreme or early preterm
  • 8- within moderate to late- 32 weeks
  • There were 20 that delivered at 39 or more weeks, one at 41 weeks

Southeast Region – Sue Meeks, Manager Family Navigator, Community Health Programs

  • ODH Infant Vitality Pilot - 4/2018 – 6/2019. 
  • Grant Goals: Improve Infant Outcomes and Reduce Disparities and Infant Mortality in Ohio. Replicate the existing Ohio University Family Navigator Program in four additional SE Ohio Counties with similar demographics.
  • Grant began in April 2018, navigators hired and trained by mid-July 2018.
  • Project locations: Morgan, Athens, Jackson, Scioto and Pike counties.
  • Medicaid eligible (<200% FPL) pregnant women ages 15-42 years of age.
  • Social/medical risk factors and health disparities that may impact infant outcomes.
  • Counties with poor infant outcomes or risk of poor infant outcomes due to social determinants similar to those in Athens County.
  • Trained in Baby and Me Tobacco Free and Cribs for Kids-Safe Sleep.
  • Support and technical assistance provided by OU navigator team via Zoom meetings and at least two in-person meetings per year.

Northeast Region – Bernadette Kerrigan, Executive Director, First Year Cleveland and Michelle Edison, Coordinator, Pathways Hub Coordinator

  • Equity 2019 Conference – Driving a Conversation: The YWCA Greater Cleveland and First Year Cleveland (FYC) believe that the cumulative disparate impact of how America has managed race accounts more for today’s racial disparities than any other contributor. To help people understand this perspective, we are planning a conference November 8-9, 2019 at Public Auditorium in the 400th year since Africans in bondage were sold on the British mainland of North America. We expect local, state and national experts to present and 1500-2000 will attend from local contacts, statewide actors, and leaders from across the country.   

 

Southwest Region – Gina McFarlane-El, Chief Executive Officer, Five Rivers Health Centers and     Amanda Berlon (Feairheller) - Health Coach Coordinator, Five Rivers Health Centers

  • With Uber Health, working with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), we are able to provide transportation for pregnant patients. “Uber Health is a HIPAA-compliant technology solution for healthcare organizations that leverages the ride hailing power of the Uber platform.” From Jan-May, scheduled 279 rides for all patients; June has the highest number of riders with 107; Avg. Cost per ride: $12.84. With the majority our patients on Medicaid, the program pays for itself – reimbursement per ride - $21. For patients not covered by Medicaid, we are using our Quality Grant to cover the cost – which has been minimal. We are now able to bill for our Homeless patients that we transport
  • The average ride distance is 6.22 miles; the farthest ride, 31 miles away. To see if Uber Health is available in your area, visit: www.uber.com/cities.

 

Northwest Region – Celeste Hogan-Smith, Regional Director North, Health Partners of Western Ohio and Becky Hartman, Lead Certified Community Health Work, Moms & Babies First

  • Highlighted activities in the northwest region in the various communities around collaboration and home visiting.

 

State of Ohio – Tina L. Turner, MPA, Maternal and Child Health Program Section Manager, Ohio Department of Health (ODH)

  • Dr. Acton plans on more organizational changes and to begin strategic planning for the department in September. Her goal is to modernize the public health system and she is focused on changing the culture of the organization.
  • The landscape of what was known as the Bureau of Maternal Child and Family Health (MCFH) has changed, but there has not been a Division Chief of MCFH named at this time.  The Bureau Chief of MCFH position (Sandy’s old position) may not be filled, but a higher-level position (Division Chief of MCFH) has been posted.
  • The Division of MCFH now will included Women Infants and Children (WIC), Home Visiting, Maternal and Child Health (MCH), MCH Epi and Research, and Children with Medical Handicaps.  Two sections moved out of the Division - Sexual assault went to Injury Prevention and Tobacco went to Chronic Disease.
  • The Home Visiting Section (OCHIDS, Mom’s and Babies First, and Help Me Grow) and the Maternal and Child Health Section (Preconception Health, Mom’s Quit – Perinatal Smoking Cessation, Infant Safe Sleep, Infant Mortality, Infant Vitality, Ohio Equity Institute, Nutrition, Choose Life, and Centering projects) will join under one umbrella lead by Alicia Leatherman. Alicia’s estimated start date is June 29th as the Home Visiting/Infant Mortality Program Administrator.  She comes to ODH from Celebrate One, and the OCPIM and has worked in home visiting, infant mortality, early childhood programs for many years.
  • Tina Turner is still the MCH Section Program Administrator and the Home Visiting Section Administrator position is still vacant.
  • Dr. Mark Hurst is the new ODH Medical Director and the Assistant Director for Programs (MCFH, Health Improvement/Wellness, Radiation Protection/Safety) as of June. Dr. Hurst is very interested in maternal and child health issues and will be discussing the past and future initiatives, challenges, and successes with the MCH Section in the near future.
  • Lance Himes is the ODH Chief of Staff and Lisa Eschbacher is our Interim General Counsel and we gained several new leaders in Communications, a researcher in the Director’s office, and a new administrative assistant to the Director’s office.

Ohio Home Visiting Project – Stacy Scott, PhD., MPA, OCPIM Co-Chair and Executive Director, Baby 1st Network

  • The National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ), working on behalf of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), is developing a series of modules that will assist home visitors in identifying and providing the most appropriate intervention needed at the time of the visit, with each module explicitly addressing the determinants in an effort to achieve health equity and reduce black/white disparities.
  • Additionally, the focus will be on supporting home visitors to uncover and address     the barriers to meaningful engagement with the family. This project is still in the development stages; more information to come.