About Us
Healthy Start Osceola
The Healthy Start Coalition of Osceola County, Inc. (HSCOC) is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization established in 1994 to develop and implement quality systems of care for maternal and child health, as well as allocate the related health care dollars going into the community. Community leaders, health care providers, consumers and residents make up the membership of the coalition.
Our goal is to improve pregnancy, health and developmental outcomes for residents of Osceola County. We work to reduce infant mortality & morbidity, low birth weight & preterm births and increase access to care to give all children the best potential for a healthy and productive life.
Our goal is to improve pregnancy, health and developmental outcomes for residents of Osceola County. We work to reduce infant mortality & morbidity, low birth weight & preterm births and increase access to care to give all children the best potential for a healthy and productive life.
History
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The Healthy Start Program was signed into law in June 1991 by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles. At that time, the United States had one of the highest infant mortality rates (number of babies who die in the first year of life) in the industrialized world. Florida ranked among the highest in the nation. The greatest single hazard to infant health is to be born with a low birth weight. Infants who weigh less than 5.5 pounds (2,500 grams) are considered low birth weight and are 40 times more likely to die during the first month of life than normal birth weight infants. Of those that survive, one-fourth develop life-long problems. The Healthy Start program is credited with helping to reduce infant mortality in Florida by 35%. The program was awarded the National Perinatal Association Award for Programs That Work for state-wide success in lowering adverse birth outcomes among women who received home-visiting services.
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Former Governor Lawton Chiles
holds up a 2-day old baby in 1992,
signaling the beginning of Healthy
Start. |
Healthy Start Coalitions
Healthy Start Coalitions act as private-public partnerships to guide and monitor this system of care. The coalitions formed around the state to find local solutions to local problems. These not-for-profit organizations develop plans for service delivery, monitor the system of care and allocate maternal and child healthcare dollars. The major accomplishments of the 32 coalitions around the state have been in community, consumer and provider education, delivery system improvements, and community collaboration.
The IMPACT of HEALTHY START
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Locally, the Healthy Start Coalition of Osceola County is proud to say that our infant mortality rate of 4.5 per
every 1,000 live births is lower than the overall state rate of 5.8 and below the Healthy People 2030 goal of 5.0. Why this matters: infant mortality is a key marker of the overall health of the community. How Osceola County fairs in our other priority areas:
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35% statewide decrease in infant mortality since 1991 |
Areas Of Concern
Health disparities exist in birth outcomes with Black babies dying at a rate of 2.5 times more than White babies in Osceola County. Hispanic babies die at a rate 1.5 times more than non-Hispanic babies. Similar disparities are seen in other key health outcomes. In our community, just like in many others, there is a concern about health equity, access to care and other social determinants of health like transportation, affordable housing, food insecurity and unemployment.
