Advancing Health Equity in the MIECHV Program: Spotlights on Community Experiences and Responses to COVID-19

As part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program Advancing Health Equity in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency project, the study team identified a subset of counties across the United States with disproportionate COVID-19 impacts that are served by MIECHV-funded evidence-based home visiting programs. Using a range of social determinants of health data, COVID-19 outcomes, and demographic characteristics, the project team identified 70 counties across the United States that were especially vulnerable to disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and challenges related to social determinants of health. The project team, in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), further narrowed the list down to select five communities to engage in case studies.

As a result of that process, we partnered with the following communities to conduct case studies: the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Englewood (Chicago), Illinois; Logan County, West Virginia; Maricopa County, Arizona; and East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas Parishes in northeast Louisiana. After selecting the communities, our team began reviewing relevant resources to see the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our team also met with staff from each site’s MIECHV-funded local implementing agency to learn more about the community, plan for site visits, and identify key partners to interview for additional context.

To support a community-engaged approach, we hired local community members as community researchers to support on-the-ground recruitment and context setting; the project team was advised by a board consisting of MIECHV awardees, equity experts, COVID-19 researchers, and families. Several of those community researchers spoke about their experiences working on this project.