 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Heather A. Davidson, MS, Liz Johnson, BS, and David S. Cordray, PhD. Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College #512, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-343-3420, heather.a.davidson@vanderbilt.edu
A primary goal for freestanding birth centers (FBC) in Tennessee is to provide better access to prenatal care for underserved women. To effectively administer outreach activities in the immediate community, The W.K. Kellogg Birth Center Evaluation project used mapping technology and state-level birth certificate data to provide centers with evidence to target underserved areas. The goals included assessing: 1) the areas with the highest level of late entry into prenatal care within the surrounding community; 2) the trends in late entry over time; 3) the number of women living in areas of need (i.e., are FBC outreach efforts reaching the right people); and 4) the geographical distance between these areas and the birth center.
To assess these questions, birth certificate records from the Tennessee Department of Health were obtained for the years 1989-2000. Using indicators of late entry into prenatal care, we created a subset of data by zip code. Address information, linked with public access street files, created aggregated maps revealing the largest problem areas for each of the 11 years within the community.
Mapping showed highly concentrated areas of late entry into prenatal care surrounding the FBC. Center staff used the evidence to collaborate with local university researchers, stimulate conversation with community leaders, and concentrate outreach efforts to deprived areas. Evidence based outreach provides opportunities for continual organizational development, policy refinements, and future research of FBC system of care.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Technology, Maternal Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.