PCI to Lead Efforts to Increase Early Prenatal Care across U.S.-Mexico Border States

Federally-funded collaborative will convene stakeholders from Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas  

SAN DIEGO—Project Concern International (PCI) is pleased to announce the expansion of its U.S. and Border programming, thanks to a new three-year award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB).  As part of the Infant Mortality Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (IM CoIIN) initiative, the San Diego-based nonprofit will lead one of four national networks dedicated to measurably impacting infant mortality and perinatal outcomes in the United States.

“Prenatal care is essential to give children the best shot at life, but far too many women in U.S.-Mexico border communities obtain prenatal care very late or do not access it at all compared to national standards, particularly women from disadvantaged groups,” said Carrie Hessler-Radelet, President & CEO of PCI. “Building on the work from the past three years, we will continue to create healthier outcomes for new moms and their babies.”

The Border States Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) will convene multilevel stakeholders across Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The group’s priorities include ensuring women from disadvantaged communities have access to prenatal care early on in their pregnancies and facilitating their empowerment as individuals, mothers, and community leaders.

Under PCI, the Border States CoIIN will engage the leadership of the State Title V Maternal and Child Health Programs from all four border states; 12 federally-funded Healthy State programs operating in the border states; a Resource Network of national experts including Dr. Milton Kotelchuck, Director, MCH Life Course Research Laboratory at the Center for Child & Adolescent Health Research and Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital; Dr. Paula Braveman, Director, Center on Social Disparities in Health, University of California San Francisco; and Dr. Jill McDonald, Director, Southwest Institute for Health Disparities Research, New Mexico State University; as well as key state and local partners including health care systems, universities, and women and families themselves.

Through a partnership with GainX, the world’s only Innovation and Transformation Strategy Management software, PCI and project partners will facilitate a cross-state innovation process, and track advanced metrics to monitor the initiative’s impact and effectiveness. PCI has also partnered with Shindig, the Technology Pioneer in Large-Scale Video Chat, to power interactive virtual meetings with partner and state teams.

PCI has maintained a continuous presence in San Diego and Imperial Counties and along the U.S.-Mexico border since 1961. Today, PCI’s U.S. and Border Program implements a broad range of community-based activities that improve the health and well-being of vulnerable populations on both sides of the border with an emphasis on maternal, newborn and child health and disease prevention. PCI leads the Healthy Start Border Alliance, a border-wide collective impact initiative to improve outcomes for women and families.

About PCI: PCI is a global development organization dedicated to empowering families and communities to enhance health, end hunger and overcome hardship. Founded in 1961, PCI impacted the lives of more than 10 million people last year alone through programs in 16 countries spanning Asia, Africa, and the Americas. For more information, visit www.pciglobal.org.