Loving Steps works to eliminate significant disparities in perinatal health experienced by African-American women and their families in order to prevent infant mortality and low weight births. This is accomplished through community-driven initiatives that include intensive case management services and care coordination by a multidisciplinary team and enhancement of the capacity of the local community’s perinatal service system.
When the community gets involved in Loving Steps, pregnant women get the prenatal care and support they need to have healthy babies.
Loving Steps employs nurses, dietitians and community health workers to provide services to women and infants who are at risk for poor perinatal outcomes. These professionals screen participants for medical, nutritional, social, economic and environmental risks, identify service gaps and develop a plan of care to address those gaps and improve their health status. Referrals are provided to needed services and resources with ongoing follow-up to assure access to those services/resources.
Currently, Loving Steps services are provided to pregnant women and teens, parenting women and teens, as well as infants and toddlers in the cities of Norfolk, Petersburg and in the county of Westmoreland.
This program is 100% federally grant funded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services/Health Resources and Services Administration. Communities eligible for funding must meet the federal requirement of having at least one racial/ethnic or other disparate group with a three-year average infant mortality rate of at least 10.58 deaths per 1,000 live births. The grant also includes the conduction of a fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) and supports a local consortium to address local perinatal issues.
Contact us at Linda Foster
109 Governor St. 8th Floor, West
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 864-7764 •
FAX: (804) 864-7771