"A Healthy Start: Spokane's Future Maternal and Infant Health", a comprehensive community health assessment used to improve health equity and social justice affecting maternal and infant health in Spokane, Washington

“A Healthy Start: Spokane's Future” is a comprehensive community health assessment project with statistical analyses that addresses maternal and infant health in Spokane County. This analysis and evaluation was conducted with community partners whose main objective was to improve and develop effective, outcome-based maternal and infant health interventions. Findings were used to identify key factors that affect determinants of health for pregnant women and infants resulting in poor birth outcomes. Indicators for maternal concerns focused on medical and behavioral risks and their affects on maternal morbidities. Indicators for infant concerns concentrated on birth outcomes, specifically on abnormal conditions of the newborn and congenital anomalies. Data was analyzed by age, race, and service utilization to identify health disparities, and indicators were evaluated over time and by geography to help identify areas of concern. The report showed that many health indicators were disproportionately worse among racial and ethnic populations, women and children in poverty, and in certain neighborhoods in our community. The results were presented, reviewed, and prioritized by Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) and community partners. As a result, SRHD restructured existing programs, allocated resources, and created a new program, Neighborhoods Matter. This program is a targeted, community-driven, and community–based approach that focuses on reducing health disparities impacting maternal, child, and family health. The process and method for conducting a community health assessment on maternal and infant health and the creation of Neighborhoods Matter will be discussed. Findings and outcomes of the project will be presented and shared with participants.