Healthy Start Coalition of Brevard would like to thank everyone at the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach and Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach for their generous donations to Healthy Start. Each quarter these two hotels choose fundraising activities to donate to. Healthy Start was honored to be chosen as one of their focuses for collecting donations for the month of May. Their thoughtful staff donated over $1,000 in baby clothes, diapers and supplies for the moms and babies of Brevard.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your monthly meeting and spreading awareness of Healthy Start to your wonderful staff.

Your contributions will go directly to the moms and babies of Brevard County in the Healthy Start program. Thank you again for supporting Healthy Start, we are grateful for your continued support.

This year’s World’s Greatest Baby Shower was held in Central Brevard at the Viera Regional Community Center located at 2300 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Viera, FL. We invited all Brevard County pregnant women and new parents who have had a baby in the last two years to join us for the Worlds Greatest Baby Shower! The event was a great success and we were able to reach out to many women and families in Brevard County. Many thanks to Rockledge Regional Medical Center for being the Title Sponsor of this event and helping make this event happen. A special thank you to all of our medical professionals and Doctors that attended to provide these valuable classes to our attendees. The knowledge passed on was very appreciated to all those that attended.

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The World’s Greatest Baby Shower offered the following resources:

– Educational Exhibits: There were over 40 information stations on various topics such as: parenting, prenatal health, new baby care, community resources and more!
– Door Prizes: With the generous sponsorship from Rockledge Regional Medical Center and our local vendors that attended, we were able to provide hundreds of Baby Shower gifts to our attendees.
– Child Development Screenings: Help Me Grow Books, Balls & Blocks Play Area offered children from birth to age 8 child development screenings

Education Seminars That Were Held at The Worlds Greatest Baby Shower:

–Ask-A-Doc Panel: Kristy Brackett, BSN,RN, Director of Maternal Child Services at Rockledge Regional Medical Center; Dr.Nefertari Esemuede, MD and Dr. Javier Soto, MD, Obstetrician-Gynecologists at Partners in Women’s Health; Dr.Justin Cueto, Anesthesiologist at Rockledge Regional Medical Center; Margaret Nemthy,ARNP and Ali Bird, ARNP, Nurse Practitioners at Pediatrics of Brevard; Dr. Kristin Mirda, DMD Dentist at Sunshine Smiles
–Car Seat Safety: Presented by Gail Whitworth with UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County
–Safe Sleep For Your Baby: Presented by Phebe Powell with Brevard Cares
–Important Difference in Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression: Presented by Dr. Armando Fuentes, Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Nemours Children’s Health System
*Attendees were entered into an additional drawing for bigger door prizes for attending Educational Seminars

We look forward to planning next year’s World’s Greatest Baby Shower. Stay tuned for dates and location.

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Hosted by: UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County, Healthy Start Coalition of Brevard, 
211 – Help Me Grow, and Brevard Parks and Recreation

Sponsored by: Rockledge Regional Medical Center

The following is a statement from Jennifer Schwalb Floyd, Executive Director, Healthy Start Coalition of Brevard County, regarding the Florida Legislature’s decision to maintain funding for Florida’s Healthy Start program:

“We applaud the Florida Legislature for maintaining funding for Florida’s Healthy Start program. The continued funding will allow us to continue to provide essential services and community interventions to Florida’s high-risk mothers and infants. Last year, Healthy Start Coalition of Brevard County served more than 5,000 at-risk mothers and infants in Brevard.”

In 1991, the Florida Legislature, at the urging of Governor Lawton Chiles, formed the Healthy Start Coalitions as a public-private partnership. Coalitions are responsible for developing and maintaining a system of care for pregnant women and babies in each community. Coalitions form partnerships with hospitals, obstetricians, County Health Departments and other nonprofits and programs to have a collective impact on birth outcomes.

Since it was established, Healthy Start has helped Florida make significant strides in increasing positive birth outcomes and reducing infant mortality by 35 percent. Our work is essential and far from complete, and this funding will allow our efforts to continue to make a positive impact on infant mortality, prematurity and healthy child development.

Healthy Start is currently working with the Florida Department of Health and Agency for Health Care Administration to develop a new care delivery structure that will reach into each community to increase our impact in helping Florida’s highest-risk mothers and babies and further ensure our services are providing the highest return on investment.

We thank the Florida Legislature for recognizing the value in investing in the health of our state’s most vulnerable families and helping us continue on this positive path of success.

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About The Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions
The Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions develops and supports local systems of care to optimize the health of moms, babies and families. The Association is made up of 32 individual coalitions from across the state. Each coalition uses data and research to design a service delivery plan unique to their community. Together, we unite to have a collective impact toward better outcomes for Florida’s families.
To learn more, visit www.fahsc.org.

Contact: Lisa Haferkamp
[email protected]
321-634-6101

By: Kathy Myer, RN, MSN

Since the creation of Florida’s 32 statewide Healthy Start Coalitions in 1991, our state’s infant mortality has dropped by 35 percent due in part to the program’s comprehensive approach to prenatal and infant care and education.

But now, Healthy Start funding is in jeopardy due to proposed budget cuts. The potential impact on our community would be significant, threatening at-risk families’ access to Healthy Start services such as education and support for families including infant care and safe sleep, pregnancy care and preparing for baby’s arrival, Screening and referrals for perinatal depression, substance abuse, child development, and much more.

In 2016-17, Healthy Start Brevard…

• Provided services to more than 5,000 at-risk moms and babies; services are provided through various community partnerships such as Children’s Home Society-Brevard and the Florida Department of Health-Brevard.
• Offered education to 90+ medical professionals and paraprofessionals on substance abuse. In addition, 23 educational sessions were conducted at OB offices, clinics and hospitals on Healthy Start.
• Delivered community engagement activities to women in Brevard.
  – For example activities included: health fairs from Mims to Palm Bay, baby showers, community forums
• Performed over 250 outreach visits to educate on birth outcomes; distributing over 22,000 pieces of information on birth outcomes.
• Additionally, the Brevard Coalition participates in the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review, a program that works to reduce infant mortality by gathering data that helps understand fetal and infant deaths in the community. With this information, we can identify gaps in services and work toward improving infant mortality locally and around the state.
• Based on data from 2014-16 for Brevard: 1,271 babies were born low birth weight (below 2500 grams); 91 babies died before their first birthday; of those deaths, 14 were SUIDS (sudden unexpected infant death). Each one of those statistics are centennial indicators of the health of our community; therefore it is imperative to fully fund Healthy Start so they can continue to address these issues.

Healthy Start has had many success stories, but here is a quick example of one: … Upon finding out I was pregnant, I returned to Brevard to be near my family. I had absolutely no idea what resources were available to single moms. I filled out a HS form and received a phone call a few days later. After our first meeting, I felt so relieved. I had information about safe sleep, child development, a free pack n play, low cost car seats, and parenting classes where I could earn items for my baby. Every meeting after that was like a nice visit from a friend. I have had a wonderful experience with everyone at Healthy Start. They have also monitored my daughter’s development and made sure I was informed about my prenatal care. Thank you Healthy Start for helping me to become the best mother I can be…

Healthy Start is a cost-effective model that contributes to Florida’s better birth outcomes. Every dollar that the Florida Legislature invests in supporting Healthy Start has an incredible return on investment in costs saved from preventing death among infants and mothers by bridging the gap to prenatal care and education.

For additional information please visit www.healthystartbrevard.com

Kathy Myer, RN, MSN
Healthy Start Board Chairperson