ECU Health has been awarded $1,497,500 from The Duke Endowment to participate in the Maternal Infant Health Carolinas initiative, a multiyear effort to improve maternal and infant health outcomes across North Carolina and South Carolina, strengthen care coordination and advance health equity.
Healing, Equity, Advocacy and Respect 4 Mamas and Babies is a text- and phone-based screening and referral program developed at The Medical University of South Carolina to identify medical, behavioral health and social needs early in pregnancy and throughout the postpartum year.
“ECU Health is proud to serve as a pilot site for this proven maternal health model, allowing us to bring an innovative, evidence‑informed approach to mothers across our 29‑county region,” said Angela Still, executive director, Women's Services, James and Connie Maynard Children's Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center. “By integrating comprehensive, stage‑specific screenings with coordinated nursing and social work support, we can better identify needs early and connect patients with the clinical and community resources that help them thrive. We are excited to collaborate with MUSC and peer programs to advance maternal and infant health outcomes for families throughout eastern North Carolina.”
The model proactively connects participants to timely, trusted services and has demonstrated significant improvements in the detection and treatment of mental health conditions, including maternal depression and anxiety as well as substance use disorders, chronic health conditions, intimate partner violence and unmet social determinants of health needs.
TDE’s investment will support the awarded sites in planning and implementing H4MAB. This includes participation in a peer learning community and access to a comprehensive technical assistance and training center led by MUSC in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The center provides training, technology, cross-site evaluation and data resources along with ongoing technical assistance to strengthen implementation. It will also collaborate with state agencies, Medicaid programs and private payers to explore long-term reimbursement pathways for program sustainability.
ECU Health is among five health systems TDE selected to form a network aimed at mitigating risk factors that lead to poor maternal and infant health outcomes while ensuring families across the Carolinas receive the timely support they need to thrive.
ECU Health will collaborate with local health care providers, public health agencies and community-based organizations to share information about H4MAB and connect families with medical, behavioral health, social support and peer support resources. ECU Health will also convene a community advisory board to provide feedback, identify resource gaps and ensure that implementation reflects local context and community experience.
“We are thrilled to launch this initiative in partnership with MUSC, UNC-Chapel Hill and five health systems,” said Jay Kennedy, senior program officer with The Duke Endowment’s Health Care program area. “Our aim is to work together to replicate and scale this program in hopes of improving health outcomes for more women and infants across the Carolinas.”
