Avera Healthy Start

Healthy Start wordmarkAvera Healthy Start provides information, education and resources to pregnant women and mothers with infants up to 18 months old, with a focus on rural and new immigrant and refugee populations.

Avera Research Institute received a $5.4 million grant through the Health Resources and Service Administration’s (HRSA) Healthy Start Initiative: Eliminating Health Disparities in Perinatal Health.

Program Details

Patients Receive

  • Consultations with a registered dietitian
  • Appointments with a social worker to provide pregnancy and parenting related information and resources
  • Group education classes
  • One-on-one nutrition and parenting classes

Goals

  • Eliminate health disparities
  • Prevent infant mortality
  • Enhance the health of the mother

Who’s Eligible

  • Pregnant women and new mothers with infants up to 18 months old in addition to their partners

Key Partners

  • Feeding South Dakota will extend access to clinic-based resources for mothers, children and caregivers who have been identified as food insecure.
  • The Teddy Bear Den will extend access to services including incentives and rewards with mothers in exchange for maintaining healthy lifestyles. The Den rewards mothers with points for promoting healthy habits for themselves and their babies, such as attending health care appointments; avoiding smoking, drinking or using drugs; attending well-baby checkups; and getting immunizations for their babies. Mothers can use these points to purchase items for their families, like clothing, breastfeeding supplies, and safe sleep items, such as cribs and sleep sacks.
  • Avera Community Health Resource Center in Sioux Falls will support culturally relevant and accessible program implementation and will provide key insight into improving maternal health. This center serves several unique and diverse populations that experience adverse maternal health outcomes. Staffed by several Community Health Workers (CHWs), each representative of their target population, the center provides outreach to immigrant residents of Sioux Falls.

Grant Number H49MC53007