Sustainable antenatal care services in an urban Indigenous community: the Townsville experience
From PhilanthropyWiki
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This paper evaluates the 6-year impact of the Mums and Babies program, a community-based collaborative approach to antenatal care services for Indigenous women in Townsville, Queensland. This report finds that sustained access to a community-based, integrated, shared antenatal service has improved perinatal outcomes among Indigenous women in Townsville.
The Mums and Babies program, delivered from the Townsville Aboriginal and Islanders Health Service (TAIHS), is the result of close collaboration between the Indigenous community and health care providers in Townsville. The program was funded for its first three years by The Ian Potter Foundation and the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Foundation. It commenced in January 2000.
Initial evaluation of the first 4 years of this program showed improved access to quality antenatal care services and a significant reduction in preterm births, but unchanged perinatal mortality rates. The program has now been running for 7 years, and evaluation shows that previously reported gains have been sustained, and the reduction in preterm births has now translated into significantly reduced perinatal deaths.
The paper also postulates other potential population health gains, through the impact of such factors as capacity building at TAIHS, leading to staff retention, development of sustainable health infrastructure within the organisation, and participation in further community-focused research projects.