Center for Rural Maternal, Child, and Family Health

Phone: 334.727.8142聽 |聽 Email: lthomas@tuskegee.edu

Vision Statement

A world where Black families have the agency to choose childbirth in a culturally safe environment without fear of adverse birthing outcomes.

Strategic Mission

The 快活视频 Research Center for Rural Maternal, Child, and Family Health aims to improve birth outcomes for Black birthing people in rural Alabama, focusing on Barbour, Bullock, and Macon counties. The center spotlights the structural inequities at the root of the birth inequities through research, community engagement, and training.

Service Areas

Macon County, Bullock County and Barbour County

Framework for Action Plan

• Data will be collected and de-aggregated by self-defined communities to track indicators such as traditions around food and nutrition and to understand political barriers affecting maternal and child health (MCH).
• The center will develop a comprehensive action plan with measurement templates for each objective.
• Research activities will be conducted under a community Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure ethical standards and community involvement.

Pillars for the Next Four Years

Pillar One		Pillar Two		Pillar Three		Pillar Four
NUTRITION		ACCESS TO CARE		MENTAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH		EDUCATION & TRAINING
Build a culture that fosters sustainable healthy eating habits, focusing on reducing preeclampsia and other pregnancy-related conditions.		Improve navigation support within healthcare systems and establish long-term programs such as community health centers and mobile healthcare units to reach underserved areas. 听听		Increase family health history awareness and promote family planning, pre-pregnancy health advantages, and post-partum warning signs. 聽 聽 听听		Develop faculty training programs and community health worker certification programs to build local capacity in maternal health.

Leadership Team

• Crystal James, JD, MPH, Principal Investigator
• Dr. Latrina Thomas, Program Director

Co-Principal Investigators (CoPIs)

• Dr. Deloris Alexander, Interim Dean of the Graduate School and Director of the Bioscience Program, Faculty
• Dr. ToRhonda Lee, Head of the Department of Graduate Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine
• Dr. Jannett聽Lewis-Clark, Department Head of Allied Health and Interim Program Director of Occupational Therapy
• Dr. Cordelia Nnedu, Professor, School of Nursing and Allied Health
• Mr. Abraham George, Chief Information Officer

Year One Achievements听听聽

聽STRATEGIC PLAN A strategic plan with four cross-functional pillars was created to guide the center鈥檚 focus areas. 听听

PARTNERSHIPS听听 Professional service agreements were executed with the Macon County Health Care Authority, the Tuskegee Area Health Education Center, and the Tuskegee/Macon County Community Taskforce.

聽PLANNING MEETINGS Weekly planning meetings with Co-Principal Investigators (CoPIs) were established.聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 听听 聽 聽

聽HIRE PERSONNEL After a successful recruitment effort聽was accomplished,聽a Program Director was identified and hired. 聽 聽

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Funding

Funding for this project comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding number 1 UR6MC50341鈥�01鈥�00.

This project aims to use collaborative research, community outreach, and education to improve maternal health outcomes for Black families in rural Alabama, setting a precedent for equitable maternal healthcare across the state.

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