Following months of intensive preparation work, the McKinney Foundation launched its Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) on Friday, October 9, 2015.
The program is designed to combat infant mortality, a problem that is particularly acute in the African-American community. In conjunction with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and guided by Medicare policy, the MIHP initiative utilizes medical and supportive care techniques including home visitations, care coordination and other services to meet its goals of promoting healthy pregnancies, positive birth outcomes and well-infant health and development.
“The infant mortality rate, particularly for African-American babies, is nearly three times higher than that of infants born to white mothers,” said McKinney Foundation Executive Director, Tiah E. McKinney, citing a 2008 Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) report on infant mortality. “The McKinney Foundation’s participation in the MIHP initiative is a natural next step in our overall mission of building a culture of health equity through education, awareness and access, particularly for people of color,” McKinney added.
For its rollout, the McKinney Foundation MIHP is targeting Medicaid eligible pregnant women and infants in hard hit zip codes on Detroit’s east-side including: 48224, 48205, 48207, 48213, 48214 and 48215.
Using a coordinated care approach, Medicaid eligible pregnant women can receive up to nine visits from a registered nurse and a licensed social worker, who conduct a comprehensive screening to determine their needs and risk identifier status. Risk identifiers are also completed for infants, with subsequent visits scheduled by the McKinney Foundation’s healthcare team after the baby is born.
MIHP eligible participants receive assistance that is tailored to their Plan of Care, also known as a POC. The POC may include access to transportation services; classes on childbirth and parenting as well as number of other beneficial resources and infant products.
In addition to providing MIHP services for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, by 2018, the McKinney Foundation will expand its provider role across the state of Michigan to include Genesee and Lenawee counties.
Medicaid eligible pregnant women with further questions about the Maternal Infant Health Program should contact their Medicaid Health Plan provider. Eligible participants can also contact the McKinney Foundation at (313) 318-9447.
Information on the Maternal Infant Health Program can also be found on the state of Michigan website at www.michigan.gov/mihp.
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