Lanier County Family Connection Receives Grant to Improve Maternal and Infant Health

CareSource Georgia collaborates with Georgia Family Connection Partnership on pilot project

Pregnant and postpartum mothers and their infants, who live in rural areas where there’s limited access to care, are at greater risk for poor health outcomes. Maternal mortality rates in rural Georgia are up to 2.5 times higher than in urban areas, according to The American Surgeon journal. And the March of Dimes reports that in maternity care deserts—which make up 42% of the state—women must travel twice as far to reach the nearest obstetric hospital to find essential maternity resources.

“Communities thrive when families are healthy,” said Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) Executive Director Gaye Smith. “Georgia’s 10.2% low-birthweight rate is well above the national rate of 8.6%, which is already higher than the rate for most developed nations. This matters because low birthweight is the strongest predictor of infant mortality and provides insight into the state of women’s overall health.”

GaFCP and CareSource Georgia, a nonprofit managed care organization, have teamed up to close these gaps and improve maternal and infant health outcomes in rural Georgia through technology-driven engagement and community-based collaboration.

CareSource awarded GaFCP a $100,000 grant to launch Creating Connections to Improve Maternal and Infant Health, a pilot project designed to improve maternal, infant, and neonatal mortality—particularly for women and infants of color. The 12 Georgia Family Connection Collaboratives participating in the pilot project are:

·        Butts County Life Enrichment Team,

·        Dawson County Family Connection,

·        Jefferson County Community Ships for Youth,

·        Lanier County Family Connection,

·        Liberty County Family Connection,

·        Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth,

·        McIntosh County Family Connection,

·        Meriwether County Family Connection,

·        Oglethorpe County Family Connection,

·        Rockdale Coalition for Children and Families,

·        Troup Family Connection Authority, and

·        Twiggs County Family Connection.

In Lanier County, the rate of children living in poverty is 26.9%, compared to 18.8% in Georgia. Additionally, the rate of teen births, ages 15-19 (per 1,000) is 17.1, compared to 16.5 in Georgia.

“We don’t have an OB/GYN, pediatrician physicians, or mental health services, so families travel more than 40 miles to surrounding counties to receive those services,” explained Amy Griffin, Lanier County Family Connection executive director. “We’re committed to improving women’s health, birth outcomes, and family wellness and stability—and promoting early childhood literacy.”

New partnerships with Perinatal Health Partnership allows the Collaborative to share more resources and reach more families. The Collaborative reached 131 families through the Baby Bulldog Program and 24 new moms in 2024 with Safe Care.

“CareSource partnered with GaFCP to leverage technology and community engagement to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in rural Georgia,” said Taura White, associate vice president for CareSource Georgia. “Because access to care can be limited in rural areas, the goal is to embed GoMo Health as a virtual engagement hub—connective tissue—to support pregnant and postpartum members and their infants in rural Georgia.”

GoMo, a science-based patient and consumer engagement company, leverages human-centered science and advanced technology to deliver personalized, real-time support for members, as well as their providers and care partners, that support adherence, resilience, and well-being.

Georgia Family Connection Collaboratives are embedding the GoMo Health platform to create a virtual engagement hub that coordinates health communication and patient support among CareSource members, care teams, and local community organizations. Eight counties will include participants who are already using remote patient monitoring for gestational hypertension and diabetes. Connected monitoring devices will be integrated into the GoMo Health platform to create a seamless, personalized care experience.

Georgia Family Connection is engaged in this work to:

·        increase access to physical and mental health care for women and families;

·        increase social connections for women and families as a means of supporting their physical and mental health;

·        improve access to treatment for women with substance use disorders;

·        increase families’ understanding of seeking health care and social connections, and other healthy behaviors;

·        decrease the rate of hospitalization due to untreated chronic diseases in women;

·        decrease the rate of low-birthweight and preterm births; and

·        decrease maternal mortality.

“CareSource’s support and vision have been essential in bringing this partnership to life,” said Smith. “Combining the power of technology with the strength of local relationships has better equipped us to improve maternal and infant health in rural Georgia and statewide.”

Together, CareSource and GaFCP aim to create a replicable model that reduces emergency department visits and hospital stays while promoting better pregnancies, healthier births, and stronger communities across rural Georgia.

“Anytime we are able to collaborate with other counties in the state to learn from each other it is a win win situation, said Griffin” “We look forward to seeing a positive change in our community.”

(left to right) Rockdale Coalition for Children and Families Executive Director Michael Hutcheson, Crisp County Community Council Executive Director Monica Robinson, Atlanta Fulton Family Connection Coordinator Janet Adams, Lanier County Family Connection Executive Director Amy Griffin, CareSource Georgia Associate Vice President Taura White, Georgia Family Connection Partnership Executive Director Gaye Smith, Meriwether County Family Connection Executive Director Rhonda Fuller Denton, Troup Family Connection Authority Coordinator Mandy Hill, Lamar County Family Connection Collaborative Coordinator Kellie Mercer, and Jefferson County Community Ships for Youth Executive Director Chester Johnson.