South Los Angeles Best Babies Collaborative (SLABBC)

The South Los Angeles Best Babies Collaborative is managed by South Los Angeles Health Projects, a community service division of LA BioMed. The Collaborative was formed in 2005 under First 5 LA’s Healthy Births Initiative. Our mission is to promote healthier pregnancies, birth outcomes & interconception care through enhanced linkages between medical and social service providers. Our vision is that all babies in South LA have a healthy start in life.

Our Challenge: Infants in South LA are more likely to be born premature or low birthweight and suffer from long-term related complications.

In 2002, South LA had the highest birth rate in LA County as well as elevated rates of poor birth outcomes. For instance, 7.5% of births were low birthweight versus 6.8% for LA County; 11.3% were preterm births versus 10.2% for LA County; and the rate of teen births was 72.6 per 1000 versus 39.9 per 1000 for the County . As a result, children born in South LA are at greater risk for infant mortality, as well as lifelong health complications, developmental delays, learning disabilities, and chronic diseases, which are associated with preventable poor birth outcomes.

The Solution: The SLABBC is working together to promote coordinated prenatal and postpartum care for pregnant and parenting women and teens .

The SLABBC consists of LA BioMed/South Los Angeles Health Projects, INMED/ MotherNet LA, SHIELDS for Families, Inc., South Central Family Health Center, and the Watts Healthcare Corporation. We are working together to promote improved birth outcomes through a diverse range of evidence-based and practice-based interventions including:

• Outreach: By integrating messages regarding early prenatal care, healthy behaviors, health access, and the SLABBC services into our members’ outreach efforts, we are reaching thousands of women and teens a year who are risk for poor birth outcomes.
• Health Education: By integrating messages and materials into our members’ health education classes, we are promoting healthy behaviors linked with positive birth outcomes.
• Social Support: Through our “Mothers’ Club”, women and teens have a chance to learn and share about healthy behaviors at support groups held at member sites throughout South LA.
• Care Management: Nearly 200 women and teens will receive care coordination and planning, referrals to resources, and support for healthy behaviors during and between pregnancies.
• Interconception Care: We’re stepping up the focus on promoting healthy births between pregnancies by providing a variety of services including breastfeeding education through post-partum visits and family planning negotiation skills training.

What can you do to help?

• Lead a presentation on a topic related to healthy births at our Healthy Births Training Program for staff or our Mothers’ Club social support group for community members.
• Encourage pregnant and parenting women and teens to take advantage of our services. Request outreach flyers to distribute by contacting Claudia Molina, MPH.

To learn more about the SLABBC, contact Claudia Molina, MPH at cmolina@slahp.org or 323-757-7244, extension 235 or visit www.labbn.org/bbc/slaBbc.htm.