Brothers

Black Infant Health Program
 
 Black Infant Health (BIH) is one of The Perinatal Council's most successful programs, and it serves as a model for similar services throughout the State of California.
 
 In the 1980s, California's Department of Health Services discovered that African American babies in the state were three times more likely to die than White babies. In 1989, the state of California began funding BIH program in districts where children were at highest risk.
 
 The Perinatal Council administers this culturally sensitive outreach program in Contra Costa County. The program provides case management for African American pregnant women or mothers, aged 18 and over, who are likely to have complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
 
 BIH helps African American women find pregnancy care, healthcare for their children, and other necessary social services that will reduce the rates of infant death and illness. The council's Outreach Specialists/Case Managers are skilled at bringing high-risk women into the program, coordinating client services, and linking clients to other community agencies for additional assistance.
 
 Because of the relationship that grows between clients and Case Managers, BIH participants view the healthcare system more positively. They understand the importance of their children's health and are more motivated to seek care and health education. The result is healthier babies and children.
 
 The Goals:

• Reduce infant mortality and morbidity rates
  
  
• Assist famililes in receiving perinatal and postpartum care and pediatric services for their children, as well as access to mental health, housing, and employment services
  
  
• Provide information about healthy lifestyles, relationships, and parenting to clients and their partners

To contact the Black Infant Health program, please call (510) 236-6990.

Healthy Tomorrows A peer-education training program for high-risk pregnant/parenting African American women aged 19 and older, living in Oakland and Richmond. Goals: Reduce, eliminate, or prevent substance abuse among program participants and prevent substance abuse by their children Reduce participants' number of sexual partners and contacts with high-risk partners; increase use of condoms and knowledge of risk factors for transmission of HIV/AIDS/STDs Disseminate information to other at-risk women in the community through use of an innovative art-based curriculum that addresses such issues as ethnic and gender pride; HIV/AIDS awareness and education; substance abuse and high-risk behaviors; parenting; self-esteem, relationships and intimacy; assertiveness and communication skills; coping and behavior management skills; and public speaking and outreach skills.