Mississippi Public Health Institute Awarded Five-Year Grant to Improve Health of African-American Families on the Gulf Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Elaina Jackson, Fahrenheit Creative Group, LLC, elaina@fcgworks.com, (601) 371-8003
Tennille Collins, Mississippi Public Health Institute, tcollins@msphi.org, (601) 398-4406
Mississippi Public Health Institute Awarded Five-Year Grant to Improve Health of African-American Families on the Gulf Coast
Collaborative Effort to Focus on Improving Healthy Behaviors among Minority Populations
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Public Health Institute (MSPHI), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage in partnerships and activities that improve Mississippi’s health, was recently awarded a five-year, $3.4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The grant, one of only 31 awards from CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program, will support collaborative efforts to improve the health and well-being of African American families, mothers, and babies in Jackson, Hancock, and Harrison Counties.
“We believe this is a tremendous opportunity to make a positive long-term impact on the health of thousands of families on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and demonstrate the impact of building stronger relationships between public health organizations, health care providers, and community-based organizations,” said Roy Hart, MSPHI chief executive officer. “Everything we learn over the next five years will benefit every Mississippi community, and we are excited about sharing the insights we gain and new information we learn that will ultimately help improve health across the state.”
The collaborative project will focus on increasing community support for breastfeeding and educating the community on the health effects of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. MSPHI has engaged several local and state partners to support these efforts, including the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Office of Women Infants and Children (WIC) and Office of Tobacco Control (OTC), Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center (SSRC), Coastal Family Health Center, Gulf Coast Healthy Communities Collaborative (GCHCC), Gulf Coast Breastfeeding Center, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), and several hospital primary care systems along the Gulf Coast.
Funding from the grant will support community-based activities that will directly involve coastal residents and connect African American mothers and families to resources that support and promote healthy lifestyles. The project’s multi-sector coalition of local community stakeholders will focus on advancing population health in the three counties. A full-time community resource coordinator, housed at Coastal Family Health Center, will link individuals with a range of services, including Baby Cafés and tobacco cessation resources.
“As a safety net health care provider in a state challenged by many health disparities, Coastal Family Health Center is grateful to be a partner in this exciting initiative that focuses on the very core of where sustainable change occurs—the family, specifically mothers and babies,” said
Angel Greer, chief executive officer of Coastal Family Health Center. “This initiative is a stepping stone for partners across our Gulf Coast to create a network to strengthen and empower families and improve our health outcomes.”
The community-based coalition, coordinated by GCHCC, will be facilitated by a manager who will engage community members and stakeholders in program planning, implementation, and evaluation utilizing local data to ensure the project is responsive to the current and emerging needs of the community and African-American mothers, families, and babies.
“The Gulf Coast Healthy Communities Collaborative exists to bring together partners across multiple sectors to catalyze data-driven action at the intersection of community development and health,” said Tracy Wyman, healthy communities liaison for GCHCC. “We look forward to supporting the work of the Healthy Families Mothers & Babies Initiative through the Community ExCHANGE online data platform and working together to connect organizations and programs for a healthier Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
MSPHI and its partners expect this project to improve overall health along the Gulf Coast that can be sustained through the network of partnerships that are created. These partnerships will help increase support and use of systems and services for chronic disease prevention, strengthen community support for breastfeeding, and reduce tobacco use over the next five years. For more information on the REACH project, contact Tennille Collins at tcollins@msphi.org or (601) 398-4406. For more information on MSPHI, visit www.msphi.org.

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About the Mississippi Public Health Institute MSPHI is a nonprofit entity established in 2011 to protect and improve the health and well-being of Mississippians, serving as a partner and convener to promote health, improve outcomes and encourage innovations in health systems. We cultivate partnerships aimed at program innovation, health resources, education, applied research, and policy development.

Program Overview:
The Healthy Families Mothers and Babies initiative is a five-year grant funded project through REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that focuses on reducing health disparities and rates of chronic illness in African American women of childbearing ages in Jackson, Harrison, and Hancock Counties. We have 3 focus areas that include nutrition, tobacco free living, and community clinical linkages. Our community-centered communications campaign entitled, SHEA (Sharing Health, Education and Awareness) is focused on reducing health disparities and rates of chronic disease among Black women, babies, and families in Jackson, Hancock, and Harrison Counties.

Contact:
Shakeizia Jones
kjones@msphi.org
769-567-1221
sheahealth.org

 

 

 

The Mississippi Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MSPQC) is a statewide partnership with the primary objective of enhancing birth outcomes in Mississippi through evidence-based quality improvement initiatives at both the hospital and community levels. MSPQC adopts a data-driven, collaborative approach, focusing on specific factors influencing maternal and neonatal health. Participating members are actively involved in selecting projects aimed at developing, disseminating, and successfully implementing best practices across all clinical and community settings that cater to the needs of mothers and infants. Serving as a strategic leader, accessible resource, and unifying organization, MSPQC strives to guide statewide quality improvement efforts, drawing inspiration from successful Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) with established and proven practices.

Contact Information
Monica Stinson, MS, CHES
mstinson@msphi.org

 

Mississippi breastfeeding rates are almost the lowest in the country. As part of our mission to improve the health of Mississippians throughout the state, the Mississippi Breastfeeding Coalition wants to support mothers, promoting breastfeeding practices in business and early childhood education centers and clinical-community linkages that serve as a means of referral for needed services. Some of the outcomes expected are to develop a sustainable system for continuing education for lactation professionals in Mississippi, to establish a sustainable system for the provision of breastfeeding support for low-income families, and to establish a community of practice to support the sustainability of breastfeeding support groups to improve breastfeeding rates in Mississippi by offering access to equitable lactation support statewide.

Contact: Eliana Glass
Eglass@msphi.org
www.msbfc.org

 

Mississippi breastfeeding rates are almost the lowest in the country. As part of our mission to improve the health of Mississippians throughout the state, the Mississippi Breastfeeding Coalition wants to support mothers, promoting breastfeeding practices in business and early childhood education centers and clinical-community linkages that serve as a means of referral for needed services. Some of the outcomes expected are to develop a sustainable system for continuing education for lactation professionals in Mississippi, to establish a sustainable system for the provision of breastfeeding support for low-income families, and to establish a community of practice to support the sustainability of breastfeeding support groups to improve breastfeeding rates in Mississippi by offering access to equitable lactation support statewide.

Contact: Eliana Glass
Eglass@msphi.org
www.msbfc.org

 

 

Jackson Safer Childbirth Experience (JSCE)  focuses upon providing the services of community-based doulas to African American women of childbearing age, specifically those between the ages of 18 and 44. Our doula team is composed of African American women who come from an array of backgrounds consisting of a mixture of medical and non-medical backgrounds. We strive to provide individualized care that is intimate and specific to not only medical conditions, but also specific to all aspects of parenthood. Thus, we provide a more in-depth approach to care that starts where they are and continuously guides them to positive physical and mental outcomes. We accomplish this by assessing mothers’ needs during enrollment and connecting them to services through built partnerships in order to make their transition into parenthood more successful.

Contact
Tara Shaw
Program Specialist
601-566-1046

 

Program Overview
In collaboration with United Healthcare, MSPHI provides remote blood pressure monitoring and health education to prenatal and postpartum women through the Babyscripts web application.  Maternal clinics throughout the state have been recruited for participation and providers at these clinics provide patient referrals to the program.  Through the Babyscripts app, mothers are able to monitor blood pressure and providers are alerted in the case of hypertensive readings.  Messages and reminders are regularly sent to mothers regarding care and the need for immediate medical attention if warranted. Through this project healthcare providers are able to monitor hypertension more efficiently, particularly among high-risk maternal patients.  Participants are also able to gain knowledge about conditions that influence pregnancy outcomes which promotes better self care.

Contact
Jacinda Roach
jroach@msphi.org

 

 

Program Overview
 Through this project, MSPHI has partnered with Amerigroup to provide continuing education to healthcare professionals on health literacy.  Topics include:  Building Health Literacy into Your Community Programs, Building Health Literate Interprofessional Teams, Health Literate LGBTQ+ Care, and Designing Accessible Educational Materials.  Education is provided through an asynchronous learning platform that providers can complete at their own pace and earn up to 11 hours of CME credit. This project allows providers to better understand barriers related to health literacy that influence patient engagement.  It is estimated that only 12 % of Americans have proficient health literacy skills.  Thus, many are unable to navigate through the current health system or effectively engage in discussions about medical care.

Contact
Jacinda Roach
jroach@msphi.org
https://srahec.org/heatlh-literacy

 

 

Program Overview
MSPHI in partnership with the Office of Tobacco Control provides training, technical assistance and merchant education training and materials for the Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalitions (MTFCs). The MTFCs are community-based coalitions that work to educate municipalities and schools regarding smoke-free air, prevent the initiation of tobacco use among youth, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, promote cessation services, and eliminate tobacco-related disparities.

Website: msdh.ms.gov
Contact:
Glenda Crump
Jacinda Roach
jroach@msphi.org
https://srahec.org/heatlh-literacy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Overview: 
CEAL is designed to provide trustworthy, science-based information through active community engagement and outreach to the people hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of building long-lasting partnerships as well as improving diversity and inclusion in our research response to COVID-19. MSPHI is a partner of the MSDH , Office of Preventive Health to provide support in implementing vaccine equity public health research and outreach efforts(helping promote vaccine confidence research and promotion efforts. 

Contact: 
Glenda Crump, MS
Website: 
covid19community.nih.gov/community-engagement-teams/mississippi-ceal

 

 

MSPHI, in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, (DMH) coordinates the HIV, Tuberculous, & Sexually Transmitted Infections-Early Intervention Services Collaborative Program (HIV EIP) which includes HIV counseling and testing for individuals receiving services at facilities certified by DMH including Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) and Free-standing programs. MSPHI will also work with faith-based churches to offer testing within their communities. Why is the project necessary? Mississippi ranks among the highest in the nation in rate of new HIV infections and had the eighth-highest AIDS death rate of any state in the United States in 2016. In 2021, there were 9,873 people living with HIV in Mississippi. In 2021, 419 people were newly diagnosed with HIV.

Contact
https://www.dmh.ms.gov
LaQuita Hather, MS

Program Overview: 

The Jackson Heart Study (JHS),  is a major, long-term study of hearth health in African American adults living in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan areas.  The JHS Community Engagement Center (CEC), Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH)  supports the Jackson Heart Study’s efforts to promote heart health within targeted communities around the greater Jackson metropolitan area. The Community Engagement Center (CEC) actively draws upon Jackson Heart Study (JHS) research findings and builds awareness of health risks and healthy choices to improve lives. MSPHI works  collaboratively with the Office of Preventive Health , MSDH, which coordinates CEC to develop and disseminate print, radio, television campaign messaging and materials including website and social media platforms to promote cardiovascular disease prevention in the Jackson area and beyond. MSPHI assists with videography and the development of informational articles, newsletters, flyers, pamphlets, infographics, etc. utilizing JHS or MSDH driven data to promote risk factor reduction for cardiovascular disease and related conditions in African Americans. 

Contact:
Glenda Crump ,MS, CPM
Website: 
https://www.jacksonheartstudy.org/Community

 

Program Overview: 

The Mississippi Choctaw Youth Resilience Initiative (CYRI-MS) is a partnership between MSPHI and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI.).  CYRI-MS augments  and extends previous suicide prevention efforts implemented by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI). The MBCI is a self-governing vibrant Native American tribe of 11,000 but has historically faced the compounded disadvantages of cultural marginalization. MSPHI coordinates a combination of evidence based programs and practices (EBPs)  with cultural adaptations undertaken as directed by tribal leaders.

Contact:
Jan Entrekin
jentrekin@msphi.org
Website: https://sprc.org/choctaws

 


Program Overview:
The Region IV Public Health Training Center (PHTC), located at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, helps public health professionals build the core skills and strategic competencies necessary to address current and future public health challenges. Competency-based training  is guided by state-identified needs and focuses on primary strategic skills and priority health concerns in the region. MSPHI serves as one of seven Community-Based Training Partner ( CBTs) assisting in  assessing  Mississippi’s  training needs, identifying  training priorities, developing  and implementing a region-wide training plan, and evaluate the impact of collaborative efforts.

 

Contact: 
Angie Gainey, MBA
Website:r4phtc.org 


Program Overview: 

The Jackson Heart Study (JHS),  is a major, long-term study of hearth health in African American adults living in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan areas.  The JHS Community Engagement Center (CEC), Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH)  supports the Jackson Heart Study’s efforts to promote heart health within targeted communities around the greater Jackson metropolitan area. The Community Engagement Center (CEC) actively draws upon Jackson Heart Study (JHS) research findings and builds awareness of health risks and healthy choices to improve lives. MSPHI works  collaboratively with the Office of Preventive Health , MSDH, which coordinates CEC to develop and disseminate print, radio, television campaign messaging and materials including website and social media platforms to promote cardiovascular disease prevention in the Jackson area and beyond. MSPHI assists with videography and the development of informational articles, newsletters, flyers, pamphlets, infographics, etc. utilizing JHS or MSDH driven data to promote risk factor reduction for cardiovascular disease and related conditions in African Americans. 

Contact:
Glenda Crump ,MS, CPM
Website: 
https://www.jacksonheartstudy.org/Community

 


Program Overview: 

The OAIV TVM project is designed to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 with an intentional focus on increasing access to COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and mobile health units to mitigate the spread of this virus, and increase supports for domestic violence survivors. The MSPHI team serves as the technical assistance provider, linking domestic violence programs with primary and preventive health services.  

Contact info
Hannah Sheridan, RN, BSN
Program Manager
hsheridan@msphi.org

Program Overview

Project Firstline Mississippi, developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is an innovative outreach program designed to promote foundational knowledge on infection prevention and control for all types of frontline healthcare workers.  Outreach activities include weekly social media interaction posts and a variety of images and posters with best practice messaging. Educational and training opportunities include free, comprehensive online course curriculum to expand knowledge on infection prevention and control guidelines, COVID-19 precautions, and best practices; user-friendly videos from CDC, APIC, WHO, and more.

 

Contact:
Jan Entrekin
Program Manager  jentrekin@msphi.org
Website URL:  www.projectfirstlinems.org
Social Media:
Facebook-Project Firstline Mississippi


Program Overview: 
SW SOAR Partners focus on creating a sustainable, integrated, multi-disciplinary mental and physical health care system that reduces morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder and opioid use disorder. 

 

Contact info
Logan Nalker, BIS,
Program Manager, lnalker@msphi.org

Program Overview:
The MSPHI is a PHIG Regional Innovation Hub and foundational to NNPHI ’s approach to providing tailored and proactive technical assistance (TA) and training to PHIG recipients. Our mission is to support 17 funded PHIG health department recipients with effective workplan strategy implementation and optimized outcomes. The Hub offers sustainable and supportive relationships and collaboration across the public health system to fully harness the potential of the workforce, data, and infrastructure capacity.

Contact:
Dr. AnnaLyn Whitt, Director
awhitt@msphi.org

or Phig@msphi.org
Madison Nevels
Program Manager

Program Overview: 
Mississippi’s Overdose Data Action (OD2A) program supports collecting high-quality, comprehensive, and timely data on nonfatal and fatal overdoses to inform prevention and response efforts. OD2A focuses on understanding and tracking the complex and changing nature of the drug overdose epidemic and highlights the need for seamless integration of data into prevention strategies. OD2A is led by the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) and supported by a federal grant initiative funded by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


Contact: 
Jan Dawson
jdawson@msphi.org
Website: ODFree.org