Connecting patients and clinics to improve postpartum care in the Mississippi Delta
Empowering Women for Postpartum Care and Reproductive Health in Mississippi Delta
This project will try community health worker home visits plus a communication and health-literacy program to see if they increase trust and postpartum care engagement among high-risk postpartum mothers in five Mississippi Delta counties.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 250 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 45 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Sponsor | Jackson State University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Jackson, Mississippi) |
| Trial ID | NCT06481631 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This effort establishes a Mississippi Delta Research Center of Excellence for Maternal Health and runs two linked projects using community participation. Project 1 tests an evidence-based community health worker home-visiting program co-designed with patients and local partners. Project 2 implements a multilevel, multisector communication and health-literacy strategy grounded in the PEN-3 model to boost trust and engagement in postpartum care. Outcomes include measures of trust, care engagement, and impacts on preventable maternal morbidity and mortality in the target counties.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are postpartum mothers aged 18–45 who were identified as having a high-risk pregnancy and reside in Washington, Bolivar, Scott, Humphreys, or Carroll counties, with local maternal providers and community health leaders also engaged.
Not a fit: People who are not identified as high-risk, are under 18, had a cesarean birth, or do not live in the five target counties are excluded and unlikely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could increase postpartum care use, strengthen trust in local healthcare, and help reduce preventable maternal complications and deaths in the Mississippi Delta.
How similar studies have performed: Community health worker home-visiting programs and targeted health-literacy/communication interventions have shown benefits in maternal and child health elsewhere, but this specific, community-partnered package in the Mississippi Delta is relatively novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Identified as high risk pregnancy * Postpartum mothers/parents 18-45 years * Resident of the one of 5 target counties (Washington, Bolivar, Scott, Humphreys, and Carroll) * Maternal healthcare providers in target counties * Maternal community health leaders Exclusion Criteria: * not identified as high risk pregnancy * 18 years of age postpartum * cesarean birth * non-resident of the 5 target counties
Where this trial is running
Jackson, Mississippi
- Jackson State University/Department of Behavioral & Environmental Health — Jackson, Mississippi, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Mary Shaw, PhD — Jackson State University
- Study coordinator: Mary Shaw, PhD
- Email: mary.shaw@jsums.edu
- Phone: 601-979-3103
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.