The Healthy Start Coalition of Flagler & Volusia Counties Inc.

In our service delivery area, which includes the geographic regions of Volusia and Flagler counties, the Coalition has set the following goals based on the findings of the 2011 needs assessment and service area resources assessment and inventory.
Reduce the infant mortality rate to 6.0 or less.
Reduce the black infant mortality rate to 12.0 or less.
Reduce the low birth weight rate to 8.0% or less.
Increase the first trimester entry into prenatal care rate to 85.0% or greater.
Decrease the late or no entry into prenatal care rater to 3.6% or less.
Increase the infant screening rate to 90.0% or greater.
Continue to maintain the prenatal screening rate of offer at 100%.
Increase the prenatal screening rate of consent to 91% or greater.

For a complete listing of our strategies, see our 2011-2016 Service Delivery Plan.
Strategies to reduce infant mortality rate:
Continue to concentrate on marketing and training on the Healthy Start prenatal screen to better identify risk and support provider linkage to Healthy Start.
Work with hospitals to improve infant screening rate to better identify infants at risk and improve linkages.
Support Care Coordination services at the Volusia County Health Department.
Provide leadership support to Infant Mental Health Chapter.
Conduct study of evidence-based parenting programs for further implementation.
Implement neonatal outreach coordination.
Increase breastfeeding education services through staff training and monitoring of field staff.
Continue preconception/interconception care.
Encourage hospital birthing centers to continue to ask "Where will your baby sleep?" and link to crib distribution when needed.
Support assessment services at the three birthing centers.
Coordinate with Florida SIDS Alliance to introduce legislation about safe sleep.
Work with Hospice and Volusia County Sheriff's Chaplains to implement training to first responders.
Provide designated staff, specialized training, and protocols regarding opioid dependence and neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Promote and explore options for enhancing father involvement.
Disseminate the Grief Tool Kit to providers for support and follow up when women have experienced a fetal loss/infant loss to support bereavement and health access in between pregnancies.
Publish Project INFORM to educate the health care community about FIMR findings and strategies to reduce infant mortality.
Strategies to reduce low birth weight:
Continue interconception education services.
Introduce interconceptional risk assessment tool to primary care providers and facilitate implementation.
Continue smoking cessation education services for pregnant women.
Implement outreach initiative to providers regarding the importance of nutritional education.
Continue to maintain website and support Text4Baby with educational information about healthy pregnancy.
Work with medical community to provide preconception education and health services for young women of reproductive age.
Fund Care Coordination services at Project WARM (Women Assisting Recovering Mothers) to support pregnant recovering women.
Coordinate Healthy Start services at The Chiles Academy to coordinate with pregnant teens.
Continue JJ Way training and comprehensive training plan updates and implementation.
Continue marketing and education to patients, providers, and the community about infant mortality, low birth weight and healthy pregnancy.
Implement Community Cafés in three areas of Volusia County with leveraged resources to ensure that women and families have centralized access to multi-agency services.
Coordinate assessment services with high volume OB/GYN office(s) to promote early entry to Healthy Start services.