The primary goal of the BIRTH-SD program is to improve perinatal health outcomes for South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã's parents. There are currently two projects that fall under the BIRTH-SD umbrella: BIRTH-SD-AIM and BIRTH-SD-UNITE.
BIRTH-SD-AIM seeks to improve the state of perinatal health in South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã by conducting research and implementing Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) patient safety bundles at hospitals and birthing centers across South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã. The project has two priority areas for research and bundle implementation: perinatal mental health and perinatal health and substance use disorder. The 4-year project is funded through an $800,000 grant from Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) focused on implementation of AIM patient safety bundles.
BIRTH-SD-UNITE will document traditional birthing practices and ceremonies to prevent further loss of sacred practices from American Indian culture. We will work with the nine tribes of the land now called South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã to document unique birthing practices and ceremonies to create a written record which will be 1. shared back to each tribe for their preservation, and 2. be used to educate South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã providers. The 1-year project is funded through a $10,000 through the Wokini Challenge Grant program at South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University.
The BIRTH-SD programs are led by Ms. Stephanie Hanson, MPH, PMH-C. Hanson is an expert in maternal and child health whose research interests focus on the relationship between empowerment and the development of perinatal mental health disorders; she defines the perinatal period as being from preconception (the time when someone actively decides to try to become pregnant) through five years following the birth of a child. She is particularly interested in understanding how empowerment can be used to prevent the development of perinatal mental health disorders. Stephanie is more broadly interested in maternal and child health and mental health.
Learn more about BIRTH-SD-AIM and BIRTH-SD-UNITE
