Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, GA, has cared for local families for nearly 60 years, and our Healthy Start Program grew from this rich history. In our city, many parents get care during appointments, but feel unsupported in the weeks between them. Healthy Start fills this much-needed space with care from a team who stays connected to your family from pregnancy through your child’s second birthday. We are excited to teach our Atlanta families more about this program and what it offers.
Why Does Atlanta Need Healthy Start Programs
Georgia’s maternal and infant health outcomes have trailed behind the national average for years, and access dropped even further when a nearby hospital in East Point closed in 2022. Research has shown that the main cause of these lower outcomes is gaps in prenatal and postpartum follow-up. Fortunately, these gaps can be closed with steady support for families during this important time. In 2024, Southside Medical Center received federal Healthy Start funding to reach families in the community so we could provide even more consistent care closer to home.
What Healthy Start Does for a Family
Healthy Start is ongoing support that involves a care coordinator who works alongside your regular medical team to keep your family on track between appointments. It involves:
Support Between Doctor Visits
Most questions come up at home rather than in the exam room. Your coordinator is always available for these moments, whether you are unsure about feeding or your own recovery. They will help you decide whether something can wait or you or your baby should be seen right away, so you don’t have small worries that turn into bigger problems.
One Care Team Instead of One Appointment
At many practices, you see a different provider each visit and have to continually repeat your history. Healthy Start assigns you a consistent coordinator who knows your family and shares notes with your doctors and specialists. A shared record ensures that everyone is working together from the same information.
Guidance That Follows Families Home
Once you leave our building, your care will continue. Coordinators will check in by phone and during home visits to see how you are managing. They review your home setup and feeding schedule, and help you adjust your plan and solve challenges as your child grows and needs change.
Who Is Healthy Start Designed to Support?
Expecting Mothers
Your support starts the moment your pregnancy is confirmed. Your coordinator helps schedule prenatal visits and explains what each checkup will cover, connecting you with nutrition and mental health resources as needed. This is a crucial stage for those who have struggled to get access to consistent care before.
Fathers and Partners
Partners are directly included in care with the Healthy Start program. This program offers partners education on infant care and how to support a recovering patient, building their confidence and knowledge base before the baby arrives. This is an important part of care because a supportive partner who understands what to expect can bring stability to the whole home during challenging times.
Newborns and Infants Up to 18 Months
The time period from pregnancy through age two shapes lifelong brain development. This is the period when good nutrition and steady caregiving matter the most. Coordinators track milestones and feeding during this window and are there for parents during demanding times.
Grandparents and Other Caregivers
Many children in Atlanta are raised partly by grandparents or other relatives. Healthy Start welcomes anyone in a caregiving role and gives them the same access to education as parents. This is helpful, as consistent guidance across the household keeps everyone following the same feeding and safety routines.
Inside Our Healthy Start Care Plan
The Intake Conversation
Your first meeting will be a detailed conversation about your health and home life. A staff member will review your medical history. They will talk about your current pregnancy and children and any social needs that you have, such as access to housing and food.
Home Visits and Regular Check-Ins
After intake, your coordinator will stay in regular contact both by phone and in person. Home visits let staff see your living space and spot issues that don’t often come up in an office appointment, like an unsafe sleeping area. These visits happen more often around delivery and slow down as your family settles in.
Referrals to Additional Services
When any need falls outside the scope of the program, your coordinator will connect you directly to the right resource. This can include specialists, a lactation consultation, enrolling in Medicaid or WIC and much more. Because we offer many services in-house, most referrals are able to stay in one system, which cuts down on lost paperwork and missed follow-ups.
How Healthy Start Connects to Your Care at SMC
Southside Medical Center is a federally qualified health center, so your prenatal care and your child’s pediatric visits happen under one roof, and family counseling is available in the same system. Your Healthy Start coordinator connects these departments so a concern raised during a prenatal visit reaches your pediatrician without you repeating yourself. If a screening points to anxiety or depression, which are common during postpartum, our behavioral health team is a short walk away.
Removing Barriers to Consistent Care
- Transportation and Scheduling: We have centers across Metro Atlanta, including East Point, Forest Park, Riverdale and Norcross, and coordinators perform home visits and help arrange transportation when needed and book around your schedule.
- Cost and Insurance Status: We serve patients whether or not they have insurance and offer fees based on income. Healthy Start staff also help you apply for Medicaid or other coverage, so cost is not the reason a pregnant parent skips prenatal care.
- Language and Cultural Comfort: Southside serves a diverse community and provides interpreters for sign language and languages other than English. Staff members are trained to work respectfully across cultures so patients can speak openly about their health and ask the questions that matter to them.
How to Enroll in Healthy Start in Atlanta
Enrolling starts with a phone call. Reach Southside Medical Center at 404-688-1350 or fill out the form on our website to ask about Healthy Start openings. A staff member will schedule your intake and explain what to bring. Whether you are newly pregnant or caring for an infant, you can begin at any point in the program.