Supporting postpartum care for women in the Mississippi Delta
Official title: Empowering Women for Postpartum Care in the Mississippi Delta
Funded at Jackson State University · NIH-11177866 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program helps parents in the Mississippi Delta get and use postpartum healthcare by improving communication, community health worker support, and insurance and transportation help.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Jackson State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Jackson, United States) |
| Project start | August 17, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $811,960 |
| NIH project number | 5U54HD113238-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11177866 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Parents who are pregnant or recently postpartum and who live in the Mississippi Delta, especially those facing barriers like poverty, limited transportation, low health literacy, or lack of insurance.
✕Less likely to help
People who live outside the Mississippi Delta or who already have consistent access to postpartum care and insurance may not directly benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would be offered support from trained community health workers and clinicians who will help explain health information and improve written and verbal communication so you can follow care plans. The team will coordinate care to connect you to pre- and postpartum visits and help with tasks like scheduling, transportation, and insurance enrollment. The program is delivered across communities in the Mississippi Delta and researchers will track visit attendance and postpartum health outcomes over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could increase postpartum visit attendance, reduce complications, and improve maternal health outcomes in the Mississippi Delta.
How similar studies have gone: Similar community health worker and care-coordination programs have improved engagement and outcomes in other settings, but combining communication training, coordination, and insurance navigation for this region is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Jackson State University
Jackson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shaw, Mary D — Jackson State University
- Study coordinator: Shaw, Mary D
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.