Omaha Healthy Start

Omaha Healthy Start, an initiative of Charles Drew Health Center, is one of the 96 federally funded Healthy Start projects in the United States, which promotes community-based maternal and child health programs, particularly those that focus on the reduction of infant mortality, low birth weight and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes.

The Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration fund the program.

Omaha Healthy Start believes that the national Healthy Start model offers the best strategies for the reduction of infant mortality, low birth weight and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes. This model emphasizes both the importance of community-based approaches to solving these problems, and the need to develop comprehensive, holistic interventions that include health, social and economic services.

Infant Mortality refers to the death of a baby before its first birthday. The United States ranks 23rd among industrialized nations in the world in infant mortality.

Babies who are low birth weight weigh 2500 grams (5.5 pounds) or less at birth. Very low birth weight babies weigh 1500 grams (3.3 pounds) or less. The medical and social costs for low birth weight and very low birth weight babies are significant. Low birth weight is a major predictor of infant mortality.

Racial disparities occur both in health status and health care throughout the country. The goal of Omaha Healthy Start is to reduce these disparities, especially among pregnant and postpartum women and their infants.

Mission Statement

The mission of Omaha Healthy Start is to reduce the rate of infant mortality in North and Northeast Omaha by means of  partnership with families, community members and  organizations through the delivery of case management, outreach, health education and leadership training.