Project: Best Babies Program
Grantee: Evans County Health Department
Contact: Janice Massey
Address: P.O. Box 366
4 North Newton Street
Claxton, Georgia 30417
Phone:  912-739-2088
Email: jamassey@dhr.state.ga.us

Project Purpose:
The purpose of Best Babies, a perinatal health program, is to improve health outcomes for rural women, infants and children. Best Babies offers a comprehensive, integrated approach to perinatal care for women who are at high risk for adverse birth outcomes including maternal or infant mortality, low birth weight, very low birth weight or other medical or developmental problems.

Project Service Area:
The four targeted counties are Candler, Evans, Tattnall and Wayne Counties in southeast Georgia.  These counties have high rates of poverty; and infant mortality rates (IMR) and neonatal mortality rates (NMR) are higher than those for Georgia and substantially higher than Healthy People 2010 objectives.  Two of the counties, Candler and Tattnall, do not have birthing hospitals, and women must travel long distances to hospitals in Wayne and Evans counties for delivery.  All four targeted counties are federally designated Medically Underserved Areas (MUA).