The Connecticut Family Wellness Healthy Start Program 

The Connecticut Family Wellness Healthy Start Program (CFWHS) is a program that aims to eliminate health disparities and improve birth outcomes and reduce maternal mortality for low income, African American and Hispanic pregnant women who live in Hartford.

 

The program connects pregnant women from Hartford to health care so they can receive program services which include: an assessment, health education, referrals, and follow-up services and support. The program works with health care partners around the state to increase the participants’ ability to access services and advocate for themselves. 

Why the program is needed:

Although Connecticut fares better overall in terms of prenatal health and birth outcomes compared to the rest of the nation, significant disparities persist for various segments of the population. Infant mortality is one of the many perinatal outcomes for which marked disparities exist among Hispanic and Black/African American women statewide.  Infant mortality disparity is more pronounced in urban areas of the state, including the Healthy Start target communities of Hartford.        

  How the Program Works

The CT Family Wellness Healthy Start Program funds one contractor who employs Care Coordinators. By building trust, this health center's program staff recruit, enroll, and engage low-income and high risk pregnant African- American and Hispanic women from Hartford to the program. The program is offered from pre-conception until the child turns 18-month-old:

Services during that time include:

• Care coordination and case management 
• Health education to pregnant women and their families
• Prenatal, inter-conception and postpartum assessments such as performing depression screening, risk assessments, housing needs, and domestic violence screening
• Direct services including case management, linking participants to resources for insurance, health and behavioral health care, childcare, housing and basic needs
• Referral to community services and follow-up; health education,
• Conduct outreach and presentations for program awareness at local community locations. Example at WIC sites, day care centers, Doctor’s offices, churches and shelters.
• Educate and assist clients on insurance coverage
• Perform infant developmental assessments to improve early childhood outcomes. Community referrals are provided as needed.
• Promote and monitor inter-conception health among high-risk women including chronic disease management, behavioral/mental health and reduction of reproductive health risks such as smoking and alcohol intake.

                     

                                              

The goal of the program is to identify and resolve factors impacting perinatal health disparities among the target population and to maximize opportunities for community action to address social determinants of health. The CFWHS program offers services to participants and strive to work on the following:

1. Improve access to quality health care and services

2. Strengthen the health care workforce

3. Build healthy communities

4. Improve health equity by working with resources, and utilizing strategies to:

• Improve Women’s Health
• Improve Family Health and Resiliency
• Promote Systems Change

 

Resources

• DPH's Maternal Mortality Review Program

• CDC's Hear Her Campaign in English or Spanish 

• Hear Her Video Clip in English or Spanish

                

 

For more information about the CT Family Wellness Healthy Start Program, please contact Kathryn Britos, PMHNP, MSN, RN, Supervising Nurse Consultant at (860) 509-8180 or Kathryn.Britos@ct.gov.

       

 

 

Last Updated 03/17/2025