Alta Receives Two-Year Grant to Address Infant Mortality Issues

Alta Care Group has received a grant from the Mahoning County District Board of Health (MCDBH) for a program designed to curb the high rate of infant mortality in Mahoning County.

The grant, administered locally by the MCDBH, will fund the expansion of Care Coordination Services provided by Community Health Workers (CHWs), who will be supervised by Alta. Total funding will be over $290,000 for a two-year period, pending successful delivery of program services. The funding covers CHW certification training through the Ohio Board of Nursing, Pregnancy HUB/Pathways training, salary stipends for the CHWs, and outcomes payments.

The need for this program is high in Mahoning County, where infant mortality rates in 2015 were 11.0 per 1,000 births, as compared to the statewide average of 7.2.

“We are excited to partner with MCDBH to help impact infant mortality. This program is a natural fit for the work done by our Alta Behavioral Healthcare and Alta Head Start divisions,” said Joseph Shorokey, CEO of Alta Care Group. “We are on the frontline of working with low-income, high-risk children and families, including young mothers and pregnant women.

“With the new program, our Community Health Workers will be able to provide enhanced outreach and support in areas such as health and nutrition education for at-risk pregnant women, while eliminating barriers to their health and well-being.”