This year, the AMCHP Annual Awards launched a new award category, the Community Partnership Award, designed to honor and celebrate exemplary collaborations between Title V entities and community-based organizations.

The SBX Fatherhood Program was selected as the recipient of the inaugural award, which aims to highlight the importance of sustainable and outcome-focused partnerships in promoting the dignity and overall well-being of communities.

For this issue of Pulse, we invited the organizations behind the SBX Fatherhood Program, Sigma Beta Xi Inc. Youth and Family Services, and Riverside University Health Systems—Public Health (RUHS-PH), to share about the program and their partnership, how they connect to the 2024 theme, Partnering with Purpose, and their hope for the AMCHP conference to continue delving into the importance of fathers in maternal and child health.

About Sigma Beta Xi Inc. Youth and Family Services and Riverside University Health Systems

Riverside University Health System-Public Health (RUHS-PH) offers a wide range of services and programs and has a staff of more than 700 doctors, nurses, health educators, nutritionists, communicable disease and community program specialists, managers, and fiscal and support staff. The RUHS-PH mission is to promote and protect the health and well-being of all county residents and visitors.

Recognizing persistent racial inequities in infant mortality, the California State Legislature established the Black Infant Health Program in 1989 to identify and implement strategies to improve birth outcomes for Black mothers and babies. This program was then supplemented by the Perinatal Equity Initiative in 2018 to expand on these strategies. This initiative addresses the causes of persistent inequalities and identifies best practices to deal with disparities in Black infant mortality. It promotes the use of specific interventions designed to fill gaps identified in the current services offered through the Black Infant Health program.

SBX is a nonprofit organization based in Moreno Valley, originally founded at Rialto High School by Ernest Rhone, a dedicated teacher who envisioned and implemented a mentoring program to help students become the best versions of themselves through discipline and dedication. In 2024, SBX’s Co-CEOs, who are beneficiaries of this mentoring program, began leading a youth-driven organization that has expanded its services to support youth in the program as well as their families through various programs and resources.

By serving the Inland Empire, we have identified the needs of the community and developed purposeful programs to address those needs. Recognizing the importance of supporting Black mothers and their families to decrease infant mortality rates, we saw an opportunity to lead the fatherhood program in Riverside County and have led it successfully for three years.

 The SBX Fatherhood Program

The RUHS-PH Perinatal Equity Initiative “Fatherhood Program,” which is implemented by Sigma Beta Xi (SBX), engages and serves men in a relationship with a pregnant or parenting Black woman living in Riverside County. The program’s goal is to improve birth outcomes for Black women and influence behaviors that can reduce Black infant mortality rates.

Workshops and Support Programs Offered by the SBX Fatherhood Program

 Fatherhood Program offers a variety of workshops and support programs to help fathers build and strengthen their parenting skills, improve family relationships, and enhance their personal development. During their six-week cohort, fathers address difficult topics with other fathers who are in various stages of fatherhood. They engage in discussions on topics such as mental health, which historically has been neglected in communities of color and carries a stigma for men.

The SBX Fatherhood Program has partnered with the Black Infant Health program in Riverside County to offer workshops for fathers about their partners’ pregnancies, postpartum care, and delivery. In addition, we collaborate with the Department of Social Services to provide information and resources.

The SBX Fatherhood Program also partners with multiple organizations throughout Riverside County to offer comprehensive resources to our fathers. Examples are as follows:

• We work with Pamper My Baby, which provides workshops for parents with children ages 0 to 5 years old.
• We work closely with WIC (Women, Infants & Children) offices to ensure all our fathers and their partners are enrolled in the program.
• We offer help in finding affordable internet plans for home use.
• We help fathers apply to the CARE program to receive a discount on their gas bill.
• We assist with finding digital literacy classes for fathers in Riverside County that qualify.

All the support programs we offer are available to all fathers in Riverside County.

Partnering with Purpose and the SBX Fatherhood Program

The SBX Fatherhood Program embodies the theme “partnering with purpose” and has been highly successful in garnering strong commitments and partnerships to increase awareness about the importance of the fatherhood program and the need to reduce Black infant mortality rates. SBX demonstrated ingenuity by developing non-conventional partnerships. This is exemplified by working with barbershops, sports agencies, and faith-based organizations, and through door-to-door street canvassing to gain support and increase awareness of the program.

These partnerships and the engagement of our fathers have made our fatherhood program meaningful and impactful. Not only are these essential partnerships thriving; it is a testimony to our success that many fathers in our program have given back to their community by serving the elderly, helping out with food distributions and toy drives, and participating in other community-centered activities. SBX also collaborated with Riverside’s child support agency to bring child support education and resources to fathers.

In August 2022 and June 2024, the SBX Fatherhood Program hosted fatherhood summits, which brought together fathers and partners from across Riverside County. These summits addressed many fatherhood topics, including but not limited to men’s mental health, bonding, self-care, and healthy interactions with family. A plethora of programs are in place to serve women and children, but very limited programs and resources are available for fathers, especially Black fathers. Thus, our fatherhood program has been a dynamic resource for community stakeholders.

The fatherhood initiative provides an opportunity for fathers to use their voices as parents and understand their role in supporting pregnant women and children. It is a “one of a kind” program in Riverside County with an intentional focus on how fathers influence outcomes for pregnant women during the perinatal period. The program has increased the momentum around understanding the role of fathers and has provided significant resources for so many. We now have opportunities to address mental health issues, positive parenting, and a means to help fathers access community resources tailored to support their needs.

The program has helped fathers gain skills and knowledge on how to be the best version of themselves while equipping them to support the unique and numerous needs of the Black women in their lives who are pregnant.

The SBX Fatherhood Program and The Voices of Communities and People with Lived Experience

The SBX Fatherhood Program is dedicated to elevating the voices of communities and individuals with lived experience through various initiatives. We specifically support fathers who are married to or in a relationship with a Black woman, with the goal of decreasing the mortality rate of Black babies. We provide these fathers with a platform to participate in community resource events, outreach, and public speaking opportunities. Our training programs are educational, and they encourage active participation and dialogue. Fathers are encouraged to share their experiences and perspectives, thereby enriching the learning process for all participants.

We provide dads with essential resources tailored to their needs and educate them on how to maintain a healthy relationship with their partner. For men uncomfortable speaking in group settings, we offer one-on-one sessions. In addition, we conduct restorative circles to create a safe and welcoming environment for fathers.

The SBX Fatherhood Program’s Impact

Since its inception, the SBX Fatherhood Program has made a significant impact on the lives of fathers and their families. Fathers have reported enhanced parenting skills, leading to stronger, more positive relationships with their children and overall stronger family relationships. The program has also fostered greater community involvement, with fathers participating more actively in local events and initiatives. Many fathers have experienced personal growth through our programs; they have gained confidence, self-awareness, and a sense of purpose. For example, one of our fathers successfully completed the Inland Empire Health Plan Community Health Worker training.

The program has connected fathers with essential resources such as financial literacy training, job readiness support, and health and wellness services, improving their overall quality of life. Fathers have been empowered to advocate for themselves and their families, becoming more engaged in their children’s education and well-being.

Overall, the SBX Fatherhood Program has contributed to creating a supportive community where fathers can thrive and make meaningful contributions to their families and society.

Since the program’s inception, we have enrolled 761 fathers and seen 208 fathers successfully graduate. Although we started off slowly, our numbers have steadily increased each year.

The Community Partnership Award Recognition

This recognition shows that more partners are recognizing and acknowledging the important role fatherhood programs play as far as addressing perinatal disparities. It reinforces the idea that collaborating with and connecting with local community-based organizations is essential to effectively and intentionally reach the communities that we serve. Every father trained through the SBX Fatherhood Program will experience positive impacts in their lives for years to come. We are honored that our SBX Fatherhood Program partnership efforts were acknowledged. We will continue diligently to ensure stakeholders are intentional in creating a space where fatherhood partners are welcomed to the table and a part of the critical conversations pertaining to perinatal health matters.

This award validates our ongoing efforts to support and uplift fathers in our community. Our partnership with the RUHS-PH Perinatal Equity Initiative made our achievements possible. The award showcases the positive impact of our initiatives and encourages us to continue striving for excellence in serving families and communities. This recognition highlights their commitment to fostering strong community partnerships and their dedication to addressing the needs in African American populations. It emphasizes the value of collaboration in creating effective and inclusive support systems for families.

The award also brings attention to the fatherhood program itself, affirming its importance and effectiveness. It reinforces the need for these types of programs in our community and the need to keep supporting them and participating in them. This recognition helps build trust and credibility, attracting more fathers to join and benefit from the program. It may open doors for additional funding and resources.

Overall, the Community Partnership Award is a testament to the hard work and collaboration between SBX and RUHS-PH Perinatal Equity Initiative. and it motivates us to continue making a difference in the lives of fathers and families in our community.