[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 92 (Friday, June 10, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING TOUGALOO COLLEGE/DELTA HEALTHPARTNERS HEALTHY START INITIATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 10, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public health program designed to reduce infant mortality in 
the Mississippi Delta, the Tougaloo College/Delta HealthPartners 
Healthy Start Initiative.
  This initiative is one of the 100 Healthy Start Initiatives 
throughout the nation working endlessly to give every child a healthy 
start in life. The Delta HealthPartners' Healthy Start program is 
housed under the auspices of Tougaloo College within the George A. and 
Ruth B. Owens Health and Wellness Center, under the direction of Dr. 
Sandra Carr Hayes, the executive director. The program serves a rural 
population in a seven county area in the Mississippi Delta (Tunica, 
Coahoma, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Sunflower, Bolivar, and Washington 
counties). These counties are among the poorest and most medically 
underserved in Mississippi and the nation.
  The Healthy Start Initiative was implemented in 1999 with funding 
from the Health Resources and Services Administration under the 
leadership of Dr. Beverly W. Hogan, who now serves as President of 
Tougaloo College. Today, Ms. Arletha Howard serves as the project 
director. Ms. Howard is a registered nurse with over 28 years of 
experience in oncology, burn trauma, intensive care unit, pediatrics, 
home health, maternal and child health. She has worked with the Healthy 
Start Initiative for 16 years. In 2014, under Mrs. Howard's leadership, 
the Healthy Start Initiative was upgraded from a Level I individual 
based program to a Level II community based program.
  Since its inception, the Healthy Start Initiative has provided case 
management services through a home visiting model to (1) high-risk 
pregnant women of childbearing age 10-44 years, (2) their infants; and 
(3) fathers/co-parents.
  Over the past 16 years, the program has achieved several major 
accomplishments: The Healthy Start Initiative has case managed over 900 
mothers and infants just this past calendar year (January 1, 2015 to 
December 31, 2015).
  The Healthy Start Initiative has created the Coahoma County Community 
Action Network responsible for opening the first Diaper Bank in the 
state of Mississippi funded by charitable donations and Northwest 
Mississippi Foundation.
  The Healthy Start Initiative serves as the lead agency in partnership 
with the Mississippi State Department of Health in the Mississippi 
Delta Regional Fetal Infant Mortality Review program.
  The Healthy Start Initiative has created Memorandums of 
Understandings (MOU) with 22 partnering schools in the Mississippi 
Delta to provide peer support groups to pregnant/parenting teens and 
co-parents.
  The Healthy Start Initiative has been featured in numerous 
publications and articles (USA Today, Hechinger Report, Huffington 
Post, Clarksdale Press Register, Tunica Times, and WABG TV Interview) 
highlighting the comprehensive services of the project.
  The Healthy Start Initiative has partnered with Parents for Public 
Schools to provide trainings for project parents on advocacy skills and 
educating and mobilizing parents to strengthen public schools.
  The Healthy Start Initiative promotes breastfeeding in two (2) clinic 
sites by providing health education by project's Certified Lactation 
Counselors (Women's Clinic-Clarksdale, MS and Gamble Clinic-Greenville, 
MS).
  The Healthy Start Initiative hosts a Community Baby Shower in 
partnership with local hospitals, Federally Qualified Community Health 
Centers (FQHC), other health care providers and key stakeholders each 
year in September to promote awareness of infant mortality during 
National Infant Mortality Awareness Month.
  The Healthy Start Initiative has implemented a male outreach 
initiative to address parenting issues among male co-parents and hosts 
an Annual 5k Walk in June to promote Men's Health Awareness.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing The 
Tougaloo College Delta HealthPartners Healthy Start Initiative for its 
continued efforts to reduce infant mortality in the Mississippi Delta.

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