Perspectives of Program Officers and Grantees
- Many families in Best Start geographies have a more difficult time accessing healthcare. This disparity creates greater challenges during Covid as families lack access to testing.
- Several of the Best Start community change agendas lift up maternal health as a community priority.
Policy Opportunities
Systemic Change
- Improve the continuum of care to ensure all children live as members of committed, nurturing, and permanent families. Services and support provided to the child or youth and their family are tailored toward the goal of returning the child home whenever possible, or to a permanent family through adoption or guardianship. Work to improve wraparound community-based social and health services, and navigation to those services, for people released from incarceration and their families. Increase reliance on culturally competent, non-physician health professionals and community health workers (e.g., midwives, promotoras) for maternal (pre- and post-natal) care via scope of practice reforms.
Infrastructure to Support Children & Families
- Bridge the digital divide in high-need communities to ensure children and families of essential workers have access to telehealth for preventative health and wellness care. Build private-public partnerships to ensure all families have access to reliable internet connectivity and technology so they can participate in health and mental health services in the safety of their homes.
Direct Services & Technical Support
- Disinvest from law enforcement in potential child abuse situations. Ensure that in-person, high-risk checks on children for abuse are conducted by social services, rather than law enforcement personnel.
- Expand access to essential healthcare services. Set a baseline standard requiring every resident in Los Angeles receives primary care and require county programs to extend eligibility regardless of immigration status. Provide resources for Covid testing and follow up care at local community health clinics.
- Support culturally appropriate health promotion and community ownership for essential workers. Support Public Health Councils to ensure workers have a say in implementing safety measures to prevent Covid outbreaks. Increase investments supporting community health promotion and education.
Data
Maternal Mental Health
Supervisorial Districts 2 and 4 both exceed the county rate for mothers who report feeling depression after giving birth. These districts encompass Best Start Region 2 and 4. Supervisorial District 2 has the highest rate, with 27.1% of mothers reporting poor mental health. This is likely to be an underestimate because the data relies on self reporting. Real rates are likely to be higher across all districts.
Why this matters: Maternal mental health impacts the future health outcomes of their children. Maternal depression during or after pregnancy can lead to increased risk for emotional and behavioral problems later in a child’s life. This data indicator aligns with First 5 LA Result: Early Intervention.
Prenatal Care
The annual percentage of mothers who entered prenatal care after the first trimester of pregnancy is low across Los Angeles County’s five Supervisorial Districts. Supervisorial District 3 has the lowest percent with 5.8% of its mothers entering prenatal care after the first trimester of pregnancy. This district encompasses Pacoima and Panorama City.
Why this matters: Healthy pregnancies increase the likelihood of a healthy birth. Prenatal care improves the chances of an overall healthy pregnancy including supporting the mother’s health. Low rates of prenatal care are indicative of a general lack of access to healthcare.
Uninsured Population
Across all fourteen Best Start geographies, Latinx communities are disproportionately uninsured. This is particularly alarming in a pandemic, during which a person’s health is extremely vulnerable. Individuals with preexisting conditions are more at risk during the pandemic and are more likely to need access to healthcare.
