Birmingham Healthy Start Plus, Inc. (BHSP) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Birmingham, Alabama and is built on the existing Healthy Start (HS) program funded since 1991. Originally, the federal program was referred to as Birmingham Healthy Start (BHS), since it only served individuals in residing in the targeted Birmingham communities. In 2012, BHS services expanded to the cities of Bessemer, and Fairfield, and is now referred to as Birmingham Healthy Plus (BHSP), providing comprehensive services and support to residents within these areas.  Services are provided through a Personal Touch and Trauma Informed Card Delivery Model, where staff members of BHSP completed an eight-month training process in order to advance BHSP in being recognized as a Trauma Informed Care Organization.

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BHSP is one of the original fifteen programs funded by HRSA under the Healthy Start Initiative. On October 1, 1991, BHSP began its journey aimed at reducing infant mortality in the city of Birmingham, with an ambitious goal to reduce the infant mortality rate by fifty percent.

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Since 1991, BHSP has been an integral partner of the Jefferson County Department of Health and Birmingham Health Care/ARMS’ (Former HS grantees) Maternal Child Health (MCH) initiatives, leading the agency’s efforts to administer and implement the area’s HS program as well as working locally and nationally with other Maternal Child Health (MCH) providers to improve perinatal outcomes within in Jefferson County.  

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BHSP continue its efforts to address infant mortality in Birmingham providing valuable mentoring services to various other new national HS projects throughout the country.

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MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS

 

MISSION STATEMENT

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To provide a service delivery system that engages, empowers and educates the community by promoting positive behaviors for healthy outcomes through targeted programmatic activities that focus on collaborative involvement in the elimination of health disparities, chronic disease and infant mortality utilizing a life course perspective.

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VISION STATEMENT

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To provide Trauma Informed Care by taking a wholistic approach to address or access the impact of trauma on the total well-being (physical, mental, social, environmental, and safety), in order to build resilience and promote protective factors in the lives of our customers, internal and external.

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PURPOSE

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The purpose of the Birmingham Healthy Start Plus program is to:

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• Improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy for African American women.

• Reduce infant deaths and adverse perinatal outcomes among women giving birth.

• Address and help reduce disparities in perinatal health

• Promote father inclusion and engagement

• Improve women’s health

• Improve family health and wellness

• Promote systems change and assure positive birth outcomes