Abstract

Targeting Healthy Results for Infants from Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE): HBCUs Partnering for Healthier Outcomes for Women, Children, and Families

Tokesha Warner, EdD, MHA, Wendelyn Inman, PhD, Jasmine Nabaa, MPH Tennessee State University

APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo

The THRIVE Summit provided an opportunity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and other Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) public health faculty, staff, and students to engage each other and federal agencies in the critical work of eliminating health disparities, fostering health equity, and training the next generation of public health professionals to save our mothers, children, and families. The goal of the summit is to increase awareness and engagement of multilevel stakeholders of maternal, child, and family health within the Black community.
The first annual Summit was held on April 7, 2022, during Child Health Week and the week prior to Black Maternal Health Week. The event was a partnership between the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Consortium of African American Public Health Programs (CAAPHP). CAAPHP was established in 1999 is an organization that strives to advocate for health equity and social justice through academic research and service to community. CAAPHP aims to advance public health and health education through promotion of public health programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
In early 2021, members of the CAAPHP formed a committee to address maternal, child, and family health, creating the HAT-MCH. The HBCU Alliance Team for Maternal, Child, and Family Health (HAT-MCH) is comprised of ten HBCUs and PBIs focusing on excellence for Maternal, Child, and Family Health using innovation to achieve health equity by incorporating Maternal and Child Health programs at the collaborating HBCUs.
HBCUs live, work, teach, and serve within the communities most impacted by disparities in maternal and infant mortality. They are positioned and connected within the very communities most impacted by health disparities, while simultaneously training the diverse workforce who can provide culturally relevant, concurrent health care.