Coming Together
In May 2022, First Steps and Beyond (FSB) leaders and members had a compelling and strategic two-day convention.
First Steps & Beyond leaders and members came together to form the mission, vision and priorities.
This included forming three subcommittees: Systems Transformation and Collaborative Resource Connection to help reduce infant and maternal mortality in Allegheny County.
Our Subcommittees
This subcommittee develops a shared referral system to connect families to appropriate resources and building community engagement through:
- Establishing a Community Advisory Board (CAB).
- Creating a public communications campaign to ensure community
voices are heard and the program is accessible to all. - Education and Trainings: The subcommittee will support developing
and implementing positive maternal experience training for the
collaborative, clinicians, partners, and communities. - Developing Best Practices: The subcommittee will create a list of
recommendations to inform best practices, policies, and language
around all maternal and infant health.
This subcommittee focuses on expanding prenatal and postpartum support to communities, aiming to improve family well-being and reduce health disparities:
- Addressing Immediate Needs: The subcommittee identifies short-term opportunities and solutions to alleviate stress and improve families’ lives
- Providing Essential Education: Support and provide education on safe sleep, birth spacing, smoking cessation, and other crucial topics.
- Strengthening Postpartum Support: The subcommittee focuses on establishing pediatric relationships and addressing mental health needs during the fourth trimester.
CenteringPregnancy®
First Steps & Beyond supports CenteringPregnancy®, a nationally-recognized model of group prenatal care shown to improve a wide range of birth outcomes, including lowering the risk of preterm births, reducing low birth weights and increasing breastfeeding rates.
The CenteringPregnancy® Model
The model has shown to be particularly successful in improving outcomes among women and babies, who have higher rates of pregnancy and birth-related complications. CenteringPregnancy®’s group-care model helps to address those long-standing disparities.
The CenteringPregnancy® model brings together 8-12 patients with similar due dates, as well as their partners, support people, and health care team.
They meet for 10 prenatal visits following the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) practice guidelines.
Each visit is 90-120 minutes long, giving patients significantly more time with their provider team compared to individual visits.
First Steps & Beyond
Every Baby born in Allegheny County will celebrate their first birthday.
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