From the start, children’s health has been a critical, mission-level priority for the Health Fund. In 2022, our strategy for improving health for Michigan kids evolved with the launch of our Maternal & Infant Health Initiative, a grant program that supports new solutions and strengthens partnerships throughout the state to reduce disparities and improve outcomes for babies and their mothers.
In the last 12 months, we’ve sought to advance this work by catalyzing community-driven, locally focused projects that improve access to effective care, especially in communities where support is most needed.
To date, we’ve awarded two initial grant rounds (one in November 2022 and a second in May 2023), and we’re preparing to launch an RFP in November for our 2024 Maternal and Infant Health Initiative, which will build on previous grantmaking with focused investments in several key areas, including:
INVESTING IN DOULA CARE
This was a theme in our 2023 initiative, which included multiple projects aimed at expanding the doula workforce, supporting training, enhancing outreach, and developing cohorts to work in underserved communities. We’re looking to build on momentum from the past year to provide better support for doulas and expand access to care for families, while also leveraging MDHHS’s Doula Initiative.
IMPROVING CARE NAVIGATION
Previous efforts in Michigan have supported improvements in maternal and child health outcomes through enhanced care navigation support. We’re interested in growing and strengthening this support across the state.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
There is a growing recognition emerging that medical care plays just a small part in determining an individual’s overall health. Factors like race, income, housing, access to healthy food, transportation, and more have a profound influence. In 2024, we’ll be looking at solutions to address these social determinants in the context of infant and maternal health.
INFORMING POLICY
When making decisions around grant funding, we’re enthusiastic about projects that produce real, direct, and measurable improvements for people in Michigan. We’re also looking to support efforts that speak to larger systemic problems, test new models, and provide evidence to drive policy decisions that affect health on a statewide scale.
One other note: the 2024 state budget for MDHHS includes an allocation to support delivery of the CenteringPregnancy group prenatal care model in at-risk communities through the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies program. We were pleased to see state funds made available for this effective, evidence-based approach, which we’ve supported in earlier grants.
As a result of this new funding source, we will not be considering proposals for CenteringPregnancy projects in 2024.
LOOKING FORWARD
As our first rounds of Maternal & Infant Health grantees continue to work with their communities to deliver their projects, we’ll be eagerly monitoring the results, looking for insights into the approaches that produce the greatest benefits for communities. We’ll also continue to work with all our partners to create a healthier environment for mothers and babies statewide.
We expect our work in 2024 to be another step forward in that process. Sign up for our newsletter and check our Maternal & Infant Health Initiative page for updates on the 2024 RFP, staff office hours, and more.