Beacon Health receives grant to curb maternal, infant mortality rate

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Beacon Health System is aiming to improve infant and maternal health in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties with the help of a $100,000 grant from the CareSource Foundation.

This money will be put toward efforts to support under-resourced, high-risk moms and their babies.

Part of this effort is providing take-home remote blood pressure monitoring devices to moms who have or are at risk of developing high blood pressure.

Beacon will also hire two highly trained Community Health Workers to address underlying social factors that contribute to health disparities.

The team at Beacon will also use the funding to provide care coordination services, like monitoring vital signs and providing educational materials, to moms throughout their pregnancies.

With this money, the care coordination and monitoring devices will cost nothing for patients.

Efforts will roll out in two phases, first available to high-risk mothers in St. Joseph County and then expanding to moms in Elkhart County.

CareSource is a nonprofit that provides funding to organizations working to eliminate poverty and provide services to low- and moderate-income families.