A federally funded Heallthy Start Program


Giving Birth to Hope and a Future

What is Strong Beginnings?

Strong Beginnings is a community program created to improve health care and health education for African American mothers and their babies – from pregnancy through early childhood.

Strong Beginnings was designed to eliminate the huge difference in infant death and low birth weight between African Americans and Whites.

Who is Strong Beginnings?

Strong Beginnings reaches out to pregnant women and new moms through home visits and other forms of outreach to make sure that women begin prenatal care during the first three months of pregnancy and that regular care continues throughout pregnancy and after delivery.

Strong Beginnings services are offered to women who live in the city of Grand Rapids and who are pregnant or are the mother of a child 0-2 years of age.

Community Health Workers and Case Mangers provide social support, referrals, and education. They work together with Kent County Health Department, Cherry Street Health Services, The Salvation Army Booth Clinic, Breton Health Center, Spectrum Health and St. Mary’s Health Care.

If I enroll, what kinds of services are available through Strong Beginnings?

The following services are being made available to participants:

• Support Services for you and your baby during pregnancy and for two years after delivery.
• Help with getting resources such as transportation, food, baby supplies, and medical care.
• Education for families, health care providers, and the community on ways to improve the health of infants.
• Treatment for women with symptoms of depression.
• A Core coordinator at Network 180 provides counseling and support groups for women dealing with mental health issues.

For more information or enroll, call (616) 331-5838

Strong Beginnings provides services for African American mothers and their babies through these partners:

• Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI)
• Grand Rapids Medical Education & Research Center (MERC)
• Kent County Health Department
• St. Mary’s Health Care
• Cherry Street Health Services
• Network 180
• Healthy Kent 2010
• Metro Health
• Spectrum Health
• The Salvation Army Booth Clinic