How We Help

We work in communities with rates of infant mortality at least 1½ times the U.S. national average and high rates for other adverse perinatal outcomes (e.g., low birthweight, preterm birth, maternal morbidity and mortality) in order to address the needs of high-risk women and their families before, during, and after pregnancy. 

Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc. families frequently struggle to meet their most basic needs. More than one-third (33%) of the predominantly (98%) African-American residents in the Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc.’s targeted communities live in poverty, with a median income of $22,629 (compared to $30,078 for Baltimore City) and more than half did not graduate high school. Choosing between paying rent and purchasing diapers is an everyday challenge for our families. 

To enroll into our home visiting program, you must be pregnant, a postpartum woman with a child less than six months old or the partner to an eligible woman, and live in one of our targeted communities. Our services and resources include:

  • Regular home visits
  • Transportation to health care appointments and center services
  • Child care for parents during classes/events at the center
  • GED classes
  • Parent Leadership Group
  • BHS Store
  • Seasonal Educational Events
  • Parenting Classes
  • Breastfeeding Education
  • Fatherhood Services
  • Belly Buddies
  • Momma's Circle

For more information about Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc. programs, click here. 

We believe in providing client-centered care — specifically, preventing the death of a baby before the age of one and any other poor health outcomes during the perinatal period. We work with our families in their residences, to ensure that every child has a safe, nurturing, thriving environment every day, for the first few years of life — and beyond. 

Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc. recruits pregnant and postpartum women with a child less than six months old, who live in one of our targeted communities . We assign new enrollees to a Neighborhood Health Advocate, a staff member who performs home visits and provides necessary, individualized support to the family until the newborn reaches 18 months of age . 

We offer wellness services, including:

  • Family planning (in home or at the center)
  • Preventive screenings to identify early pregnancy complications (IPV, smoking etc.)
  • Mental health and other health screenings, with appropriate referrals
  • Belly Buddies
  • Momma's Circle

We engage our families and community by providing: 

  • Transportation to health care appointments and center services
  • Child care for parents during classes/events at the center
  • Parent Leadership Group
  • BHS Store
  • Seasonal Educational Events
  • Fatherhood Services/Groups
  • Community Action Network (Federal Healthy Start)
  • Housing Programs