We know that significant disparities exist in perinatal healthcare. The Integrated Health Network is committed to addressing these disparities head-on through a variety of innovative initiatives to develop more equitable models of prenatal care and support accessible nutrition for families with newborns.
EleVATE Collaborative
The Elevating Voices, Addressing Depression, Toxic Stress and Equity (EleVATE) Collaborative works to establish equitable models of prenatal care. The program aims to improve pregnant people’s health outcomes in St. Louis by addressing behavioral health, reproductive justice, and racial equity.
How It Works
EleVATE is a community-led initiative that brings together group prenatal care providers, patients as community collaborators, academics, and healthcare team members with the goal of increasing a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to the continuum of care.
The program advances equitable health outcomes by:
- Reducing inequitable adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- Providing intensive trainings for healthcare teams to support patients experiencing trauma, depression, and psychosocial stress as a result of racism.
- Broadening the culture of medical practice by elevating and integrating perspectives from communities and healthcare institutions.
Together, we work to develop innovative solutions, practices, and new approaches that eliminate racial disparities in care delivery, while increasing shared accountability to promote direct practice changes.
“I continue to work with the IHN and EleVATE for several reasons, starting with how genuine the relationship has been — from the invitation to implementation and beyond. The IHN not only invited me to the table, but they listened to my experience and set out for change with me in every aspect of the work.”
— Cheron Phillips, EleVATE patient turned partner
Empowering Patients & Providers
In addition to addressing the broader systemic barriers to care that drive racial disparities, one way to help promote equity is by fundamentally shifting the relationship between healthcare providers and their Black patients.
In an interview with FLOURISH St. Louis, IHN’s Kelly McKay-Gist explains how EleVATE operates at multiple levels to help advance equitable outcomes in family health.
Health Affairs, the leading journal of health policy thought and research, profiled the EleVATE program in its August 2022 issue. Read the profile to learn more about the program and experiences of our invaluable community collaborators.
Previous Projects
Feed the Babies
We partnered with over 20 organizations, including community organizations, health systems, and government entities, to develop and implement the Feed the Babies project with the purpose of addressing the infant formula shortage that impacted the St. Louis region during the 2022 national formula crisis.
In a testament to the power of community collaboration, Feed the Babies achieved significant results:
- Distributed 1,382 ounces of packaged baby formula and 6,256 ounces of pasteurized donor human milk to more than 60 families
- Over 80 families received fresh groceries from Operation Food Search and St. Louis Area Foodbank
- More than 15 families received essential maternal health and infant care items
Feed the Babies continues to work with state and local partners to ensure the sustainability of accessible and optimal nutrition options for our most vulnerable populations.