NCJ Number
164005
Date Published
1995
Length
118 pages
Annotation
Guidance for sustaining Healthy Start projects to reduce infant mortality focuses on capitalizing on change in Healthy Start's environment, the evaluation of impact, and linking with stakeholders to build bridges to resources.
Abstract
The Healthy Start Initiative is a national 5-year demonstration program that identifies a broad range of community- driven, systems development approaches to reduce infant mortality and improve the health and well-being of women, infants, children, and families. This volume addresses the "sustainability" of such projects. "Sustainability" is a term used to describe efforts by the projects to continue the successful strategies that only recently have progressed from early implementation toward a model of success. First, sustainability requires that Healthy Start sites, like all community programs, be grounded in their environments while creatively recognizing opportunity in change. Assessing the environment is a crucial first step in planning for the future. Healthy Start sites must continually scan their environments for paths to a well-funded future, a future in which the community continues to become stronger while adapting to fit into new systems and new needs. Each of the 22 sites has unique structures and processes, and each has taken a different journey in applying a basic philosophy and goal. Evaluations of the impact of each project must be told to their communities so they will be valued by the communities and continue support for the project. Healthy Start communities include many stakeholders, public and private. Healthy Start sites must bring stakeholders along with them on their paths. Building on reliable evaluations, Healthy Start sites need to tell new partners the stories that show how their interests are served in the project. Different stakeholders will have different issues, and projects must customize their message to make stakeholders partners.