The University of Michigan’s Youth Policy Lab reports that a Michigan pilot program, Healthy Moms Healthy Babies, significantly improves health outcomes for pregnant parents and their children. The initiative enhances food and financial security and housing stability for families involved. Developed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, this program provides enhanced home visiting services to pregnant individuals and new parents, reducing the need to cut meals due to costs or forgo utilities.
The report highlights a 43% drop in families lacking essential utilities and a 25% decrease in homelessness as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Unemployed individuals were 62% more likely to seek job opportunities. The program, poised for expansion, will extend these services to over 75 MDHHS Maternal and Infant Health Program agencies across Michigan.
Robin Jacob, faculty co-director at the Youth Policy Lab, stated, “Our evaluation shows that the (Healthy Moms Healthy Babies) pilot provides crucial support to families in need.” The program notably narrowed the gap between white and Black families in terms of satisfaction with home visiting services. 90% of white families and 87% of Black families reported that the program met their needs, compared to a 12-percentage point gap in the control group.
The Youth Policy Lab, collaborating with the Maternal Infant Health Program, helped design an enhanced billing program to support Medicaid-eligible families during pregnancy and infancy. Licensed social workers, nurses, and lactation consultants deliver home visits, creating care plans to promote healthy pregnancies and infant development.
According to Dawn Shanafelt, director of the Division of Maternal & Infant Health at MDHHS, “The partnership between the Division of Maternal and Infant Health, the U-M Youth Policy Lab, and the Maternal Infant Health Program has resulted in interventions to support families that have been proven effective by rigorous evaluation.”
The pilot program addresses social determinants of health by providing additional funds to home visiting programs, effectively impacting economic stability and promoting equity among families. The reduction in homelessness alone could save $1.39 million annually. The program’s additional benefits include decreased food insecurity and anxiety, enhancing its economic efficiency.
“Devoting additional time and resources to support those who deliver frontline social services can help them do their jobs more effectively,” Jacob noted. With new billing guidance, MDHHS aims to extend these benefits to all MIHP agencies.
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