Podcast discusses how hospital improves early childhood care

In an American Hospital Association podcast, representatives from Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine discuss their upSTART program, a comprehensive initiative supporting pregnancy, postpartum mental health, early literacy, language development, positive parenting and connections to community resources. The integrated programs grew out of the Houston-based organizations’ initial screenings to identify development delays in children. When leaders realized that moms participating in an early literacy program were using it as an informal postpartum depression support group, they added postpartum depression support services. They listened to participants’ needs, gradually adding established programs such as the Nurse-Family Partnership. When no programs existed, they started new ones to meet community needs. Baylor researchers evaluate their effectiveness and publish results in peer-reviewed journals.