The Omaha Pathways Community HUB is partnering with three local organizations to provide pregnancy care coordination services.
Community Health Workers at A Mother’s Love, Charles Drew Health Center, and CHI Health are using the national Pathways Initiative HUB model to utilize their deep understanding and connections to the community to assist people during and after pregnancy. The Community Health Workers, who are trained frontline public health workers, work with at-risk individuals and connect them with medical, behavioral, and social services to remove barriers to health.
“This is an exciting and critical time for the HUB, as the Community Health Workers begin utilizing the model and begin serving pregnant individuals in our community who need assistance connecting with resources,” said Kelly Nielson, Director of the Omaha Pathways Community HUB. “By creating a sustainable network of Community Health Workers, we hope to provide care coordination services to 100 pregnant people this year.”
Pregnant individuals in need of assistance who live in Douglas and Sarpy Counties are eligible for care coordination services, which can include assistance finding resources for employment, transportation, prenatal care, housing, childcare, and more.
Individuals, community partners, and healthcare providers can refer pregnant individuals to the HUB by filling out the referral form at OmahaPathwaysHUB.org.
The initial phase of the program will focus on addressing health disparities among pregnant and postpartum individuals at greatest risk for poor birth outcomes. In Omaha, Black individuals experience significantly higher rates of preterm birth, and Black infants have a higher mortality rate in the first year of life than infants of other races.
The program will intentionally prioritize efforts to work with pregnant Black individuals who live east of 72nd Street. A community needs index identified that group as facing the most barriers to healthy pregnancy outcomes.
“Once a robust, sustainable network of Community Health Workers is established, the program can be extended to address other health needs in the community, such as mental or behaviorial health care or care for low-income seniors,” said Donna Kush, President and CEO of the Omaha Community Foundation. The HUB is an affiliate of the Omaha Community Foundation.
CHI Health, Healthy Blue Nebraska, Nebraska Total Care, and United Healthcare each contributed $250,000 to fund the HUB’s operations for the first year.
The Pathways model is in place in 35 communities across the country and has been successful. The Community Health Access Project, the Pathways HUB for six counties in Ohio, reported a 60% reduction in low birth weight births for participants and a $5.59 return for every $1 invested in the Pathways HUB model.
QUOTES FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
“A Mother’s Love is committed to the evidence-based Pathways HUB concept in collaboration with the Omaha Community Foundation. As a Pregnancy Support agency, we are committed to delivering an accountable community-wide approach that successfully tackles risk factors, improves health, and lowers costs for all systems involved. In conjunction with the Pathways HUB, we will guarantee that our community’s most vulnerable maternal health populations receive support across medical, behavioral health, educational, and social factors,” said Shanika King, Co-Founder and Executive Director of A Mother’s Love.
“As a leader in mission-driven care delivery, CHI Health values this opportunity to participate in the Pathways program to improve birth outcomes for black pregnant women in our community. As a health system, understanding and addressing issues that may positively affect birth outcomes is essential to CHI Health’s ability to provide equitable, effective, and high-quality healthcare to the communities we serve. This work aligns well with the work CHI Health is currently doing in the Omaha Metro area utilizing a CHW workforce and positions us to expand to additional populations that may be experiencing poor health outcomes and promote health equity in our community.,” said Elaine Adams, Market Director of Ambulatory Social Work & Community Health at CHI Health.
“Charles Drew Health Center is excited to engage with the Omaha Pathways Community HUB. We fully understand the importance of community-trained health workers who support connections to comprehensive, coordinated health care services including social supports,” said Kenny McMorris, Chief Executives Officer of Charles Drew Health Center, Inc. “We are partnering with the Pathways Community HUB to deliver a unique model that seeks to address the physical, oral, behavioral and social needs of the Omaha community that tend to create barriers for those on their journey in reaching optimal health.”
ABOUT THE OMAHA PATHWAYS COMMUNITY HUB
In 2023, the Omaha Community Foundation launched the Omaha Pathways Community HUB to create a network of Care Coordination Agencies and Community Health Workers focused on removing barriers to optimal health. Following the national Pathways Community HUB Institute® model, the Omaha HUB contracts with agencies that employ Community Health Workers — trained frontline public health workers who have a deep understanding of and connection to the community — who identify at-risk individuals and connect them with medical, behavioral, and social services. The initial phase of the program will focus on addressing health disparities among pregnant individuals at greatest risk for poor birth outcomes.