Promising Practice

Healthy Women, Healthy Futures

State/Jurisdiction: Oklahoma
Setting: Community
Population: Infant Women & Maternal
Topic Area: Access to Quality Healthcare Safe and Connected Communities Health Promotion & Communication Birth Outcomes
NPMs: NPM 1: Well-Woman Visit NPM 4: Breastfeeding NPM 11: Medical Home

Oklahoma is 46th nationally in infant mortality. Our state and Tulsa County both earned a Grade of D from the March of Dimes in 2017. Of concern is that Tulsa County’s infant mortality rate (IMR) and premature birth percentages have been consistently above those of Oklahoma overall and the nation. All four of Tulsa’s Fetal Infant Mortality Review Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) analyses covering the years 1998 to 2016 demonstrate that the main proportion for fetal-infant deaths is related to mother’s pre-pregnancy health. Racial/ethnic disparities are obvious with African American women having the highest excess deaths in the maternal health/prematurity category. Ranked 47th in women’s health nationally, it is not a surprise that as Oklahoma women’s health status decreases, both negative maternal and infant birth outcomes increase. Oklahoma is one of the top five states with disparities occurring in IMR for African American and Hispanic populations. Based in the Life Course Perspective, Healthy Women, Healthy Futures' (HWHF) vision is to improve the health of women and future generations. Program objectives include: (1) Women’s knowledge of health promotion measures and disease prevention practices will increase; (2) Women’s health will improve through the development of healthy lifestyle practices; (3) Should they become pregnant, women and their children will experience the best birth outcomes possible. It was also anticipated that improving women’s health literacy and access to health care through the establishment of a medical home would improve would change their utilization of health services.


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CONTACT INFORMATION
Healthy Women, Healthy Futures
Su An Phipps
sphipps@csctulsa.org

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