Alta Gets Grant to Address Infant Mortality Issues

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — Alta Care Group, a private nonprofit, has received a grant from the Mahoning County District Board of Health for a program designed to curb the high rate of infant mortality.

The grant, administered by the health board, will fund the expansion of care coordination services provided by community health workers, who will be supervised by Alta. Total funding will be over $290,000 for a two-year period, pending successful delivery of program services. The funding covers certification training through the Ohio Board of Nursing, Pregnancy HUB/Pathways training, salary stipends and outcomes payments.

The need for this program is high in Mahoning County, said Joseph Shorokey, CEO of Alta Care Group. Infant mortality rates in 2015 were 11.0 per 1,000 births, as compared to the statewide average of 7.2, he noted.

“With the new program, our community health workers will be able to provide enhanced outreach and support in areas such as health and nutrition education for at-risk pregnant women, while eliminating barriers to their health and well-being,” Shorokey said.

Alta Care Group provides counseling services to a yearly average of nearly 2,000 children, adolescents and young adults and their families. It also operates the Head Start/Early Head Start program in Mahoning County, which serves 845 children birth through age five and their families.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.