Chicago Healthy Start
Program Fact Sheet
Bureau of Maternal & Child Health
Division of Community Health & Prevention
Illinois Department of Human Services
Program Description
Target
Pregnant women or mothers parenting a child under the age of two.
Women must reside in the Chicago Community Areas of Near North, Near South, Near West, Douglas, Grand Boulevard or West Town
Purpose
To reduce the infant mortality rate (the number of babies who die before reaching one year of age) and related health problems for both mother and baby.
Services
Assistance in getting well child care, immunization, family planning, smoking cessation, prenatal care, social services, WIC, transportation, health education and GED classes, screening for perinatal depression.
Delivery Method:
Services are provided through one of four Chicago Healthy Start Family Centers. These centers are operated by Erie Family Health Center, Winfield-Moody Health Center, West Side Future and Henry Booth House.
Program Data
Chicago Healthy Start Program Data
| Performance Indicators |
SFY03 |
SFY04 |
SFY05 |
SFY06 |
| Grant Amount (Numbers in 000's) |
$1,595.10 |
$1,601.40 |
$1,565.80 |
$1,430.90 |
| Number of Grantees |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| Number Served |
1405 |
1533 |
1645 |
1700 |
Number served may not increase year to year due to women staying in inter-conceptional care for 2 years.
Program Effectiveness
The Chicago Healthy Start Initiative contributed to a 50 percent reduction in the infant mortality rate in its target area between 1991 and 2002. At the same time the infant mortality rate in the City of Chicago declined by 43 percent.
The initiative has also narrowed the gap between African-American and Caucasian infant mortality by one-third within the communities served by the program.
