PN-3 State Policy Roadmap identifies most effective policies and strategies designed to strengthen and promote strong systems of care that serve infants, toddlers and their families

Boston, Sept. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) is honored to share that CenteringPregnancy, its flagship model of group prenatal care, has been recognized as a successful strategy to improve maternal and child health outcomes in the newly released Prenatal-to-3 (PN-3) State Policy Roadmap. Developed by the national PN-3 Policy Impact Center at the University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs and presented at the inaugural Research to Policy Summit today, the Roadmap identified the most effective state-level policies and strategies that bring to light the science of the developing child.

Decades of scientific study have informed our understanding of brain development and the critical importance of how early life experiences, starting in pregnancy, can lay the foundation for future learning, behavior and health and affect lifelong outcomes. According to Dr. Jack Shonoff, Founding Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, policies and services should support responsive relationships for children and adults, strengthen core life skills and reduce sources of stress in the lives of children and families. 

“It is exciting to see CenteringPregnancy recognized as a key strategy in the inaugural PN-3 State Policy Roadmap. States throughout the nation share the goals of the Roadmap and this new resource will be valuable in helping decision makers prioritize the policies that will center on health equity and supporting the developmental health of our youngest children,” says Angie Truesdale, chief executive officer at CHI. “Centering is the only intervention that offers continuity of care from pregnancy through the critical early childhood period (P-2+). The model focuses on parent activation and empowerment, strengthens patient-provider relationships and builds communities of support. Our evidence base demonstrates the positive impact Centering has on improving birth outcomes, supporting healthy parent-child interactions and increasing parental behaviors that lead to positive life outcomes for children.”

Through rigorous and comprehensive reviews of the available evidence, the Roadmap identifies five effective policies and six effective strategies that states should implement to build a robust and more equitable prenatal-to-3 system of care - including Group Prenatal Care (GNPC). CenteringPregnancy is recognized as the predominant model of Group Prenatal Care in the Roadmap. It is the most widely studied and the model on which other forms of GPNC are based. 

The Roadmap is designed to provide clarity to states for policy actions and better outcomes in early health, maternal care, family life, economic security, and early care and learning. It provides a baseline for where states are, guidelines for next steps, and measures state progress toward improving the health and wellbeing of infants, toddlers, and their families through a comprehensive analysis of policy adoption and implementation.

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About Centering Healthcare Institute

CHI is a national non-profit organization, based in Boston, MA, with a mission to improve health, transform care and disrupt inequitable systems through the Centering group model. With over two decades of experience as the go-to resource for group healthcare, CHI has pioneered and sustained the Centering model of group care currently offered across 550 healthcare practice sites. The evidence-based model combines health assessment, interactive learning and community building to help support positive health behaviors and drive better health outcomes. CenteringPregnancy® and CenteringParenting® provide the highest quality of care to families from pregnancy through age two of the child. The CenteringHealthcare® model of care is being extended to many different health conditions including groups for asthma, diabetes, opioid recovery, cancer survivors, chronic pain and other patient populations. Visit www.centeringhealthcare.org for more information.

About CenteringPregnancy

CHI’s flagship model, CenteringPregnancy is an evidence-based, nationally recognized model of group prenatal care shown to improve a wide range of birth outcomes including lowering risk of preterm births by 33-47%, reducing low birth weights, increasing rates of breastfeeding, increased postpartum depression screenings and healthier pregnancy spacing.

A billable healthcare visit, CenteringPregnancy brings together 8-12 people with similar due dates, their partners, support people and healthcare team.  They meet for 10 prenatal visits following the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) practice guidelines. Each visit is ninety minutes to two hours long—giving patients ten times as much time with their provider team and the opportunity to build a community of support with their peers. Patients engage in their care by taking their weight and blood pressure, recording their health data and have private time with their provider for the clinical assessment. After this, patients and facilitators come together for interactive learning creating a safe and supportive community for knowledge sharing. CenteringPregnancy has shown to drive better health outcomes, especially among patients at risk for poor birth outcomes due to social determinants of health.

With over 100 published studies and peer-reviewed articles, evidence shows that CenteringPregnancy reduces costs, lowers the risk of preterm birth, closes the disparity gap in preterm birth between Black and White women, and improves both visit attendance and patient satisfaction. Participants report readiness for birth and infant care, higher breastfeeding rates and greater confidence. The available evidence suggests that Centering has a combined effect of stress reduction, education and patient activation that brings about these impressive results.

Vandana Devgan
Centering Healthcare Institute
(857) 284-7570
vdevgan@centeringhealthcare.org