Hawaii

Hawaii offers several programs and initiatives focused on perinatal care, aiming to support the health and well-being of mothers, infants, and families across the state. Here are some key programs:

1. Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii (HMHB):

For over thirty years, HMHB has been dedicated to health equity in Hawaii, serving as a support system for individuals, families, and communities. They offer education and accessible, compassionate care from reproductive health through pregnancy and postpartum care, as well as primary care. At every stage of the health journey, HMHB provides assistance and support, addressing not just health needs but also offering social and mental health support. Learn More

1. Maternal and Child Health Branch (MCHB):

The MCHB administers a statewide system of services to reduce health disparities for women, children, and families in Hawaiʻi. Their programs provide core public health services, including assurance activities through contract monitoring, systems development by mobilizing community partnerships and coalitions, monitoring health status, service delivery and utilization, and developing strategies to improve health status.

1. Hawaii State Perinatal Support Program

This program provides resources for women who have difficulty obtaining or maintaining health services during pregnancy. The goal is to promote health education, best practices, and resources for healthy pregnancies and positive brth outcomes in Hawaiʻi. Services are offered through various health centers.

1. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program:

The WIC program provides Hawaii residents with nourishing supplemental foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion, and health and social service referrals. Participants include pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum women, as well as infants and children under five years old who meet income guidelines and have a medical or nutritional risk.

1. Children with Special Health Needs Branch:

This branch increases access to community-based, coordinated health care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) through direct and/or contracted services, partnerships, guidelines, and education. The program emphasizes family-centered, community-based, coordinated care, and facilitates the development of community-based systems of services for CYSHCN and their families.

1. Hawaii Healthy Start Program:

The Hawaii Healthy Start Program engages families facing multiple stresses from the start, when a child is expected or born. Supportive Healthy Start home visits focus on strengthening the family, reducing risk factors, and enhancing protective factors, such as promoting parent-infant attachment and the parent's understanding of normal stages of child development. Staff seek to promote healthy growth and development of the child.

1. Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship:

This unique fellowship program is a partnership between Kapiʻolani Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center, and Hawaiʻi Residency Programs, Inc. The program trains both active-duty military and civilian trainees in neonatal-perinatal medicine, enhancing the quality of perinatal care in the state.

Home Visiting Programs

1. Your ʻOhana Home Visiting Program

Administered by the Maternal and Child Health Branch of the Hawaii Department of Health, Your ʻOhana offers free, trusted home visiting services to support expecting parents and families with young children, from birth until they start kindergarten. Services include assistance with child development, building strong family relationships, and connecting families to community resources.

1. He Lei Piko Home Visiting Program

Offered by Keiki O Ka ʻĀina Family Learning Centers, He Lei Piko is a state and federally funded program providing weekly home visits to eligible ʻohana (families). The program focuses on positive parenting practices, child development education, and strengthening parent-child relationships.

1. Healthy Families Hawaiʻi Island Program

Managed by the YWCA of Hawaiʻi Island, this program provides home visiting services to eligible families. Staff collaborate with parents to address individual needs, set and support goals, create a nurturing home environment, and connect parents with resources that support learning, safety, and developmental stimulation. Services are free, voluntary, and confidential.

1. Tūtū and Me

A program by the Partners in Development Foundation, Tūtū and Me offers traveling preschools, parent education, and home visiting programs to meet the developmental needs of young children and support their caregivers. The program integrates Hawaiian values and culture into its curriculum.

1. Hoomau Home Visiting Program

This program aims to help parents provide a safe, healthy, nurturing environment for their young children. Services include home visits that offer support and education to strengthen family dynamics and promote child well-being.

1. Hana Like Home Visitor Program

Provided by Parents And Children Together (PACT), this program serves families in the Kalihi to West Honolulu area with children prenatal through three years old. It offers home visiting services focusing on child development, parenting support, and connecting families to community resources. Cantt access link

These programs collectively contribute to the comprehensive perinatal care available in Hawaiʻi, ensuring that mothers and infants receive the support and services they need for healthy outcomes.