Healthy Start Coalition Wins Impact 100 Grant for M.O.M. Mobile
Stuart, Fla. - Thanks to a 2022 grant from Impact 100 Martin, the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition will soon be able to bring prenatal care to pregnant women most in need of these services in vulnerable neighborhoods throughout the community.
The $100,000 award help will fund Healthy Start’s Maternity-On-The-Move, or M.O.M. Mobile. The 38-foot mobile clinic will be equipped with an exam room, ultrasound imaging equipment, lab station, restroom, waiting area, and counseling room. It will travel on a regular schedule to Indiantown, Hobe Sound, East Stuart, and Golden Gate.
“We’re grateful to Impact 100 for supporting this transformative service. Our M.O.M. Mobile will have a significant impact in our community, particularly in the lives of uninsured pregnant women who have difficulty getting transportation to a central location,” says Healthy Start Coalition Chief Executive Officer Samantha Suffich. “Our ability to bring prenatal and family-centered services to their doorstep will improve their opportunity to give birth to healthy babies and protect their own health.”
The $100,000 grant will be pooled with Martin County Board of County Commissioners’ seed support of more than $284,000 through ARPA funding. The M.O.M. Mobile will be on the road early next year.
Martin County continues to lag behind the state in the number of pregnant women who begin getting prenatal care in the first trimester of their pregnancy, a critical time for assuring healthy births to healthy mothers. Statistics show that women without adequate prenatal care are much more likely to give birth to babies with significant health risks. They also show that Black and Hispanic women are less likely to enter prenatal care early and more likely to receive late or no prenatal care than White, non- Hispanic women. The M.O.M. Mobile will improve access to prenatal care for these women.
“Every baby deserves to be born healthy,” Suffich says, “and every mother and family deserve care and support. Our M.O.M. Mobile will have a tremendous impact on their lives and on the overall health of the community.”
About Martin County Healthy Start
Martin County Healthy Start is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every baby is born healthy. It provides educational and health services to pregnant women, new mothers and their families at no cost, particularly expectant mothers who are at risk for late or no prenatal care.
Part of a statewide coalition, Healthy Start connects pregnant women and young mothers with essential services including prenatal care, home visitations by a nurse or social worker, breastfeeding support, parenting education, car seat and sleeping safety, a free diaper pantry, and access to other community partner agencies through the Betty Moore Prenatal Outreach Center. The David Cardno Father and Child Resource Center, also part of the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition, helps fathers to become more involved in parenting and offers legal assistance to fathers who are separated from their children.
The programs of Martin County Healthy Start Coalition are voluntary and available to all Florida residents at no cost.
For more information about Martin County Healthy Start Coalition and its ongoing programs, visit www.mchealthystart.org, call 772-463-2888 or follow the organization on Facebook.
comprehensive range of no-cost educational and health services to pregnant women and their families, particularly those who are at risk for late or no prenatal care.