Maternal and Infant Health Outreach Workers

A higher percentage of Tennesseans live in poverty than the national average. Much of this poverty is rural. Poverty and its effects are especially prevalent among the state's 1.8 million children, with 18% living below the poverty line and 8.2% in extreme poverty. Poverty places children at risk developmentally. The goals of this project are to: 1) Train local Maternal and Infant Health Outreach Workers in Tennessee and neighboring states to screen infants and toddlers for delays and behavioral concerns, and 2) Assist Outreach Workers and families through technical assistance and supports. This program operates in 21 high poverty, mostly rural communities in isolated regions of the Appalachian mountains. Local women serve as mentors to mothers through monthly home visits from pregnancy until the child is three years old. This program has served over 10,000 families and trained more than 300 family outreach workers. As a result, families and children will experience better health and developmental outcomes.

Contact

Terri Urbano, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., (615) 322-4999