2010 - 2011 Annual Report - North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation

North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation
Report to the Community
2010-
2011
Providing leadership, education and resources since 1990

WHO WE ARE
e North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation was first established
in 1990 to address the critical issue of infant mortality. At that
time, North Carolina had the highest infant mortality rate in the
country. Much progress has been made since then, but our work is
not done.
Our agency’s mission is to reduce infant death and illness and to improve the health of
women and young children in North Carolina. For more than 20 years, we have worked to
fulfill this mission through statewide public education campaigns, community-based
agency capacity building, training and technical assistance.
Our unique public/private partnership with the State of North Carolina has resulted in
unprecedented collaboration with state government agencies, community-based
organizations and local and statewide coalitions. As a nationally recognized private,
non-profit organization with award winning work, we strive to raise awareness and
promote change in the public’s knowledge, attitudes and practices related to improving
infant and women’s health.
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AT A GLANCE
Area Served Statewide
Year Established 1990
Our Partners
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of
Public Health (Women’s Health Branch, Children’s Health Branch and
Nutrition Services Branch); NC Child Fatality Task Force; NC Pediatric
Society; NC Folic Acid Council; NC Child Care Health and Safety
Resource Center; members of our Latino, Breastfeeding and Infant
Safe Sleep Advisory groups; Sigma Ghamma Rho Sorority; local
RICHES (Resources in Communities Help Encourage Solutions)
member agencies; and other numerous local agencies and
organizations.
2010 – 2011 Accomplishments
• Contributed to North Carolina’s lowest infant mortality rate in the
state’s history as part of a broad based coalition of public and private
agencies
• Created culturally and linguistically appropriate materials; distributed
more than 2.4 million quality education and training materials statewide
• Received national awards for print, video, audio and training materials
• Latino Health Campaign recognized as a Promising Practice by Action for Children
North Carolina — included in Improving Outcomes for Latino Children and Youth:
Promising Practices in North Carolina
• Created partnerships with 50 North Carolina hospitals to promote SIDS
Awareness Month
• Collaborated with the State WIC Program to support 10 local WIC offices as they
extended the Foundation’s existing breastfeeding social media campaign
• Expanded and supported a network of 500+ community-based agencies; promoted
women’s health and provided resources and training
Learn More
• www.NCHealthyStart.org (English)
• www.MamaSana.org (Spanish)
• Find us on Facebook
• Subscribe to: Healthy Start Happenings — our bi-monthly electronic newsletter:
www.nchealthystart.org/aboutus/happenings.htm
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MAJOR INITIATIVES
PrEgNANCY ANd PArENtiNg
e Foundation’s charter campaign, First Step, is the cornerstone of our outreach efforts
to promote healthy lifestyles for women of childbearing age. Since 1990, the messages of
this campaign have promoted the importance of healthy lifestyles for women before,
during and after pregnancy and the use of appropriate medical services to effectively
reduce infant deaths. Current projects include:
the Friendship Project: This community-based, volunteer program offers a way for
local groups, such as churches, sororities and community organizations, to provide social
support for pregnant women.
Young Moms Connect: Using television, radio, the internet and social media, this
project’s goal is to support pregnant and parenting teens and young women. Newly
developed services include a website www.youngmomsconnect.org and a NC-based
texting response service.
Latino Health Campaign: Created to serve the large Spanish speaking population in our
state, this campaign provides educational messages and materials created specifically for
this population, a website (www.mamasana.org), and trainings for bilingual health
professionals. The Foundation’s statewide Latino Advisory Group is critical to identifying
priority health issues and developing culturally and linguistically appropriate information.
WOMEN’S HEALtH
Because more than half of infant deaths can be attributed to the mother’s
health, it is critical that we focus on the health of women of reproductive
age. Our women’s health initiative promotes healthy lifestyles and offers
resources. ese include: My Health Journey, a DVD for women to learn
from others about ways to improve their health, and My Health Journal, a
workbook where women can record their medical appointments and test
results, learn about good health practices and document their personal goals.
At the agency level, the riCHES Project (resources in Communities Help
Encourage Solutions) has convened a 500+ member network of
community-based organizations already serving women of childbearing
age. Funded by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation,
RICHES provides training, resources and networking opportunities to
increase local agencies’ capacity to encourage and support healthpromoting
behaviors among the women of reproductive age that
they serve.
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iNFANt SAFE SLEEP
Since 1994, the NC Back to Sleep infant Safe Sleep Campaign (formerly the NC Back
to Sleep Campaign) has informed families, childcare providers, health and social service
providers and policymakers about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and ways to
reduce its risk. is campaign focuses on the importance of a safe sleep environment and
practices such as breastfeeding, that reduce the risk of SIDS. is campaign includes
training of healthcare providers and awards those institutions enacting safe sleep
practices through:
HOPES (Hospital Outreach and Partnerships Educating about infant Safe Sleep):
An outreach effort to increase the number of hospitals in NC that develop and
institutionalize evidenced based, safe sleep practices in newborn nurseries, neonatal
intensive care units and pediatric units.
BESSt (Baby’s Easy Safe Sleep training and toolkit): A two-hour “train-the-trainer”
session designed to help health and human service professionals and community leaders
reduce the risk of SIDS in their area.
infant Safe Sleep Hospital Model of Excellence Award: Started in Spring 2011, this
award recognizes hospitals demonstrating adoption of best practices in the areas of
policy, staff training and education, patient education and modeling and community
outreach.
CHiLd HEALtH iNSurANCE
Since 1998, the Foundation’s Health Check/NC Health Choice Outreach Campaign
has increased the number of North Carolina children with publicly funded health
insurance. One strategy educates parents about insurance options for their children
when they apply for unemployment benefits through the Employment Security
Commission.
In FY 10-11, the Foundation continued its involvement with the NC Pediatric Society
Foundation’s Healthy and Ready to Learn Project and supported this federally funded,
school-based initiative to enroll eligible kindergarteners in publicly funded health
insurance.
Another focused effort resulted in program information available in many of North
Carolina’s immigrant communities. Program descriptions are available in 13 languages
and distributed throughout the state.
e Medical Home component of this campaign educates families on the benefits of
getting their children preventive, acute and chronic health care through one consistent
place and how to make the most of every doctor’s visit.
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LOOKING AHEAD
in FY 11-12, the Foundation plans to:
• Build on existing programs and expand outreach efforts in all program areas
• Expand our women’s health initiative into all 100 NC counties
• Provide statewide leadership for the infant safe sleep campaign
• Continue to reduce agency operating expenses
• Diversify funding sources
Funding Profile
FY 10-11 Revenues – $1,304,430 FY 10-11 Expenditures – $1,338,906
Individual
Private Grants
National Office
of Women’s
Health
N.C. Health and
Wellness Trust
Fund
Other
N.C. Division of
Public Health
Women’s
Health
Operating Expenses
Pregnancy and
Parenting
Safe Sleep
Child’s Health
N.C. Division of Public Health..................................80%
N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund ........................7%
National Office of Women’s Health .................... .002%
Private Grants......................................................... 12%
Individual.................................................................. 1%
Other .................................................................. .001%
Pregnancy and Parenting.........................................45%
Child’s Health..........................................................16%
Safe Sleep............................................................... 10%
Women’s Health .....................................................17%
Operating Expenses................................................ 12%
In FY 10-11, our primary funders included: NC Department of Health and Human
Services, Division of Public Health; North Carolina General Assembly; North Carolina
Glaxo SmithKline Foundation; North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund, NC
Pediatric Society Foundation and the CJ Foundation for SIDS.
e Foundation was accepted into the State Employees Combined Campaign (#3760).
88% of funds were used for programs and services, 12% for administrative expenses.
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Board of directors
Officers
Dorothy Cilenti, Chair
Robert Garren, Vice Chair
James (Jed) Hysong, Treasurer
Keischa Lovelace, Secretary
Directors
Tom Bacon
Kathryn Millican
Cynthia Redd
Rita Robbins
Betsey Tilson, MD
E. Benita Varnado, MD
Buck Wilson
Directors Emeritus
Stuart Bondurant, MD
Howard Fitts
Judge Robert C. Hunter
Charles Sanders, MD
WHO WE ARE
FY 10-11
Staff/Consultants
Tania Connaughton-Espino
Ava Crawford
Janice Freedman
Aldesha Gore
Karen Gupton
Karla Kreblein
Marta Pirzadeh
Christine Rogers
Lynn Williams
Renee Wuchich
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3725 National Drive, Suite 105
Raleigh, NC 27612
919-828-1819
www.NCHealthyStart.org
www.MamaSana.org
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