Healthy Start Program Goals
The goals of the federal Healthy Start (HS) Program are to:
- Continue reducing infant mortality rates in the United States
- Decrease disparities in infant mortality and poor perinatal health outcomes in areas where those rates are high
Healthy Start Benchmarks
HS grantees are required to report annually on progress toward achieving the 10 HS benchmarks below.
Increase the proportion of HS women and child participants with health insurance to 90% (reduce uninsured to less than 10%).
Increase the proportion of pregnant HS participants who receive prenatal care in the first trimester to 80%.
Increase the proportion of HS women participants who receive a postpartum visit to 80%.
Increase the proportion of HS women participants who receive a well-woman/preventive visit in the past year to 80%.
Increase the proportion of HS infants placed to sleep following safe sleep practices to 80%.
Increase the proportion of HS infant participants who were:
- ever breastfed or fed breast milk to 82%.
- breastfed or fed pumped breast milk at 6 months to 50%.
Increase the proportion of pregnant HS participants that abstain from cigarette smoking, or using any tobacco products, to 90%.
Increase the proportion of HS child participants who receive the last age-appropriate recommended well-child visit based on the AAP schedule to 90%.
Increase the proportion of HS women participants who receive depression screening to 90%.
Of those who screen positive for depression, increase the proportion who receive referral to 95%.
Increase the proportion of HS women participants who receive interpersonal violence (IPV) screening to 90%.
Of those who screen positive for IPV, increase the proportion who receive referral to 95%.