Resources

Perinatal Health

Report: Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program in Pennsylvania - January 2024

Mental health conditions during the perinatal period for women are the most common complications reports, affecting 1 in 5 women during pregnancy and up to one-year postpartum. This report looks at Perinatal Psychiatric Access Programs, a tool that 21 other states have implemented, as an opportunity for Pennsylvania to meet the rising needs of pregnant and postpartum mothers facing mental health challenges.
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Brief: Are Postpartum Mental Health Resources in Pennsylvania Adequate? - January 2024

This brief highlights the lack of accessible mental health supports for postpartum women across the Commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN), partnered with Thriving PA to hear directly from birthing individuals, through a statewide survey and 3 focus groups, about their access to necessary mental health services during the first year after giving birth. This report highlights the findings and the need for Pennsylvania to increase more access to mental health care for postpartum individuals.
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Fact Sheets: Maternal Health - August 2023

Our first-ever maternal health county fact sheets show each county's overall perinatal vulnerability index (PVI). The PVI uses data across five domains: behavioral health, environmental context, health care availability, pregnancy and birth outcomes, and social stratification. The fact sheets also highlight data about prenatal care and the percentage of low birth weight births
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Virtual Maternal Mental Health Roundtable - January 2023

We convened experts, key stakeholders, members of the Maternal Child Healthcare workforce, and lived experience experts to discuss the state of maternal mental health in Pennsylvania and to explore solutions for improving access and promoting better outcomes for moms and birthing people.
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1-833-TLC-MAMA Hotline Partner Toolkit

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Partner Toolkit is a one-stop shop for social media and print materials. Anyone may use these materials to promote awareness and use of the Hotline.
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Fact Sheet: Perinatal Mental Health Conditions Are a Leading Cause of Pregnancy-Related Deaths - September 2021

This fact sheet breaks down the meaning of perinatal depression and anxiety; highlighting it's impact and recommendations that can be followed to help.
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Fact Sheet: Maternal Mortality in Pennsylvania - September 2021

This fact sheet highlights maternal mortality rates in PA, racial/ethnic disparities among pregnancy-related deaths, along with Medicaid births broken down by each County.
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Report: Racism Creates Inequities in Maternal and Child Health, Even Before Birth - May 2021

This brief highlights maternal and child health policy and practice, specifically, aiming to explore why there are disparities in maternal and child health; what disparities exist, and for whom; and how policymakers and practitioners can promote racial and ethnic equity to improve maternal and child health.
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Children’s Health Insurance

Fact Sheet: Important Changes to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – April 2023

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services now determines eligibility for CHIP families and new enrollees, not CHIP insurance plans. This change means County Assistance Offices process all renewals and new applications.
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Fact Sheets: Medicaid & CHIP Helped Improve PA’s Child Uninsured Rate During the COVID-19 Pandemic – April 2023

During the past three years, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have been a lifeline for families by providing continuous health insurance coverage throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With more than 1.4 million Pennsylvania children enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, these programs connect kids to health care in every community across the commonwealth.
Image from:Fact Sheets: Medicaid & CHIP Helped Improve PA’s Child Uninsured Rate During the COVID-19 Pandemic – April 2023

Report: State of Children’s Health in Pennsylvania – December 2022

The 2022 State of Children’s Health Report shows the factors that contribute to a child’s likelihood of being uninsured include family income, race and ethnicity, geography, and age. It uses the most recent Census data and examines the role of public health insurance programs as comprehensive coverage options and how Medicaid continues to provide a safety net of coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
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Fact Sheets: State of Children’s Health – Counties by the Numbers - December 2022

Looking beyond statewide numbers is crucial to show how children in Pennsylvania experience access to health insurance differently. See uninsured data for all 67 counties.
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Prenatal and Children’s Nutrition (Women, Infants and Children Program – WIC)

Fact Sheets: Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program - May 2023

Children need access to nutrition for their growing bodies and minds to be healthy and develop as they should. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a critical component in ensuring infants and toddlers, as well as pregnant and postpartum mothers, have access to healthy nutrition. See WIC coverage rates statewide and at the county level.
Image from:Fact Sheets: Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program  -  May 2023

WIC Participants Encourage Improvements to Remove Barriers to Access - December 2022

Thriving PA identified a clear need to increase WIC enrollment and engaged clients to learn what strengths and challenges they experienced with the program and gather suggestions for improvements. These virtual family and community stakeholder focus groups were an opportunity to obtain feedback from program participants and learn what short- and long-term program changes they recommend. More than 50 current and former WIC participants provided insight into the WIC program’s strengths, barriers to participation, and ideas for modernization.
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PA WIC Program Data

The PA WIC data reports below represent WIC participation rather than caseload/enrollment. Participation: The number of enrolled women, infants and children within a reporting period who receive benefits. This includes fully breastfed infants and women partially breastfeeding an infant who are not eligible for food benefits. Caseload/Enrollment: The number of individuals who are within a valid certification period and eligible to receive benefits. Note: It is understood local agencies (LA)s may use caseload to mean workload which includes applicants applying for the program but are not enrolled. However, for the purposes of the SA and the reports run in MIS, caseload and enrollment are interchangeable.
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Early Intervention

Supporting Infant and Toddler Early Intervention in Pennsylvania - May 2023

Infant and Toddler EI services are structured to identify and meet the needs of young children in five developmental areas: physical development; cognitive development; communication development(language); social or emotional development; and adaptive skills. Infant and Toddler EI depends on state funding support to ensure that every child needing services is referred to and receiving them.
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Report: Statewide Advocacy Agenda to Improve Part C Early Intervention Services for Pennsylvania – June 2022

After a year-long planning project co-lead by PPC and the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC), this report is a culmination of months of interviews and focus groups with interested stakeholders, a national analysis of early intervention work in other states, and a review of data and current practices in Pennsylvania’s early intervention system.
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Children’s Lead Screening and Abatement

Fact Sheet: Increased Investment for Lead Paint Remediation in PA Budget - March 2023

The Lead-Free Promise Project is asking for $12 million in the 2023–24 PA State Budget to Provide low-income homeowners and landlords with the resources to help remove lead paint-based hazards in older properties and strengthen and develop the workforce of lead remediators to better tackle the lead crisis.
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County Fact Sheets - March 2023

See what the lead poisoning crisis looks like for children by county.
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Screening Guide - August 2022

Child Blood Lead Testing and Care Management: Guidelines, Strategies and FAQs for Pennsylvania Primary Care Providers
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A Resource Guide: Care Management of a Child with Elevated Blood Lead Levels - June 2021

This resource guide reports on what to do in case lead-based paint hazards are in children’s homes, including information on who to contact in case of exposure to lead poisoning.
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Report: Preventing Childhood Lead Exposure in Pennsylvania - May 2021

This fact sheet highlights an overview of implementing lead remediation practices, and how by investing in children’s health now can prevent Pennsylvania’s children from being exposed to lead and ensure that they are less likely to be involved in the justice system later in life.
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6 Steps Handout

Using municipal codes and other strategies to protect children from lead paint poisoning and improve property values
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