MATERNALCHILD HEALTH
OUR APPROACH
The best way for young children to have a level playing field is through a strong and healthy beginning in life. GKFF® strives to positively influence the health of young families through programs that enable them to have planned pregnancies and healthy birth outcomes.
Oklahoma has the second highest birth rate in the U.S. among 15 to 19-year-olds with a rate of 26.7 per 1,000 teens.
Since GKFF began its work in maternal child health in 2009, teen births in Tulsa County have dropped by 53.3%.
PURPOSE
The strongest predictor of a newborn baby’s health is the mother’s health before she is pregnant. The Foundation invests in maternal child health projects to make sure Tulsa’s families have the best chance for a healthy lifestyle.
PROJECTS
The Foundation understands the importance of a healthy start in life and that the greatest opportunities to ensure healthy habits are formed early. GKFF has embarked on a series of initiatives focused on maternal and child health.
Take Control Initiative
The Take Control Initiative (TCI) aims to reduce the high rate of unplanned and teen pregnancies in Tulsa County through education, outreach and free clinical services for long-active reversible contraception. With 15 health clinics throughout the greater Tulsa area, TCI empowers women and families in deciding when to bear children.
A new TCI project gaining traction is TCI+. TCI+ is a continuous clinic quality improvement project aimed at streamlining high-quality clinic services to improve access to family planning services and the patient experience.
Strong Tomorrows
Strong Tomorrows provides services to expectant and parenting teens at Tulsa Public Schools through an in-school case management model. This program utilizes a dual generation approach focusing on high school graduation career/college ready, parent engagement, parent and child health, as well as high-quality early childhood education.
REACH
REACH is an evidence-informed model aimed at preventing teen pregnancy by developing the adolescent’s capacity and desire to avoid pregnancy. REACH focuses on academic enrichment, self-esteem building and sex education. The program is offered to middle and high school students at Union Public Schools.
Centering Pregnancy
CenteringPregnancy is an evidence-based group prenatal care model providing classes led by physicians and covering prenatal health and post-partum care information in more depth than traditional prenatal care services. CenteringPregnancy improves birth outcomes for both baby and mother.
MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH FEATURES
