Healthy Start flags high rates of no prenatal care and elevated maternal death rate in Brevard
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Summary
Gabrielle Bargerstock of the Healthy Start Coalition said Brevard has a 9.4% share of births with no prenatal care (about triple the state average) and reported a maternal death rate she cited as 64.2 versus the state rate of 24.2; the coalition is conducting a five-year service-delivery planning process and solicited stakeholder input.
Gabrielle Bargerstock, representing the Healthy Start Coalition, presented an update on the coalition's five-year service-delivery planning process and highlighted several local maternal and child health concerns.
Bargerstock said Brevard County has the highest percentage of births with no prenatal care across demographic groups, reporting a 9.4% rate compared with a state average of roughly 3%. "That's about triple what the state averages," she said.
She also identified two other concerning data points: lower-than-average rates of adequate prenatal care (about 60% in Brevard versus 63-64% statewide) and a maternal death rate she cited as 64.2 in Brevard County compared with 24.2 for the rest of Florida. Bargerstock stressed that access to care was repeatedly raised in community surveys and focus groups as a major concern.
The coalition is conducting a needs assessment and invited stakeholders to participate in committees working on the service-delivery plan through June. Bargerstock said a one-page summary is available at the meeting and that she will distribute the full 90-page needs assessment on request.
She also noted that Brevard Public Schools has reached a 93% rate for youth mental-health training compliance where an 80% state threshold exists, and encouraged agencies to reach out to partners to align services related to maternal and child health needs.