Policy Topics

Maternal and Infant Health

Youth Policy Lab's commitment to youth and families begins with our focus on maternal and infant health.  We partner with state agencies and the medical community to support the well-being of caregivers and infants and set the stage for positive long-term health outcomes for all.

Showing 1 - 19 of 19 results
Report

An Overview of Home Visiting Referrals in Michigan

December 20, 2024
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Dipita Das, Sara Elhasan
Michigan’s home-visiting programs aim to support families by promoting healthy pregnancies and providing caregivers with the tools, information, and resources needed to create a safe and nurturing environment for their child’s development. These...

Impact Evaluation of the Maternal Infant Health Program

With support from a grant awarded by Arnold Ventures, YPL has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to conduct an impact evaluation of MIHP. Using a randomized encouragement design, outreach specialist will provide enhanced recruitment to a subset of individuals who are eligible for MIHP, with a goal of increasing participation in the program. YPL will leverage that increase in participation to evaluate the program’s impact on key maternal and infant health...

Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Pilot Project

With funding provided through Governor Whitmer’s Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative, YPL will evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot program to allow MIHP provider agencies to bill for additional services and care coordination for families with high levels of need for basic services. Providers will receive reimbursement for an additional home visit, longer home visits, care coordination services, and a discharge assessment. Key outcomes include social determinants of health, such as food security, financial stability, education, employment, treatment for mental health symptoms, treatment...

Strong Beginnings

September 2017 - September 2024
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Robin Tepper Jacob, Megan Foster Friedman
The Strong Beginnings program provides home visiting, social support, referrals to resources, and other wraparound services to high-risk pregnant women, new mothers, and babies with the goal of reducing rates of infant mortality and low birth-weight. The Youth Policy Lab has partnered with MDHHS and Michigan State University (MSU) to support the evaluation of Strong Beginnings to determine its impact on rates of: 1) pre-term birth and 2) ‘rapid-repeat’ pregnancies (new pregnancies occurring within 12-24 months of a recent birth), an indicator of positive long-term outcomes for moms and...

Increasing Participation in the Maternal Infant Health Program

January 2018 - December 2020
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Robin Tepper Jacob, Megan Foster Friedman
The Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) is Michigan’s largest evidence-based statewide home visiting program for pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries and their infants. Despite evidence suggesting the program provides benefits for both parents and infants who participate, MIHP enrolled fewer than 30% of all pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries in the state. Of those who enroll, only approximately 60% fully participated in the program. The Youth Policy Lab partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to analyze administrative data (vital records, Medicaid claims, and...