Sandra Kaylor, RN¹, Ruth Ann Craven, BSN², Valerie Dangerfield, BSW³, and Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, MD, MPH³. (1) Help Us Grow Program Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Metro Nashville Public Health Department, 311 23rd Ave, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-340-5614, sandra.kaylor@nashville.gov, (2) Maternal Child Health, Metro Nashville Davidson County Public Health Department, 311 23rd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37203, (3) Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Metro Nashville Public Health Department, 311 23rd Ave North, Nashville, TN 37203

A disproportionate percentage of young pregnant women (10-19) tend to enter prenatal care late in their pregnancy, receive helpful services late, and therefore deliver with an increased rate of LBW and VLBW infants. These infants are at an increased risk for life long health issues that are often debilitating, and costly. In Nashville, 74.8% of women 10-19 entered prenatal care during the first trimester (MPHD 2001). The HP2010 goal for 1st trimester prenatal care is 90% for all women. Eleven percent of babies born to women 15-19 were LBW and 12.9% were premature (TN State Department of Health 2000). In response, the Bright Beginnings Program was established in March 2003 to provide comprehensive case management and follow-up services to all women under 20 starting at the time they have a positive pregnancy test at one of the three MPHD family planning clinics. Services provided at the time of the pregnancy test include pregnancy history and risk assessment, options counseling, presumptive TennCare application (Medicaid), assistance with WIC application and scheduling of 1st prenatal appointment, issuance of prenatal vitamins (or prescription), referral for dental screening and other pertinent community services. All young women who consent to follow-up are then referred to a professional home visitor for prenatal case management services including: monthly home visits throughout pregnancy, comprehensive pregnancy education, follow-up on prenatal appointments with OB/GYN, coordination with school and homebound services, and referral to traditional home visiting program after delivery, if needed.

Learning Objectives:

• Decribe services provided, outcomes and lessons learned from the 1st year of the program
• To demonstrate the importance of establishing interventions early when looking to improve birth outcomes

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Prenatal Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.