the family health partnerships program

The lead players in the The Family Health Partnerships Program are Maricopa County Department of Public Health and the Alliance for Innovations in Health Care. Under the FHP banner they will collaborate to measurably improve maternal and infant outcomes in South Phoenix and Maryvale. First, the group will map and connect community assets. Next, they will discover inherent success factors related to positive birth outcomes in the communities. Finally, the team will provide resilience-based training of community members and ongoing technical assistance to engage and support the communities. The communites’ connectors will be key. Already the program has identified partners such as Healthy Start, Phoenix Birthing Project, South Central Clinic, Chicanos por la Causa, Friendly House, Family Health Center and Women and Infant Departments at four area hospitals.

In the longer term the project seeks not only to improve birth outcomes in the area, but also to improve residents’ sense of control over their local environment, to strengthen networks of support, and to positively impact health and wellness.