Our Work

Louisiana Bureau of Family Health

Effectively Reaching Hard-to-Reach Parents in Louisiana

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After five years of implementing the SIDS Risk Reduction & Safe Sleep social marketing campaign. MEE has continued working with Bureau of Family Health (BFH) on a three-year contract to effectively administer, manage and evaluate a statewide community outreach and professional development initiative to address health disparities through community outreach, building community linkages, and health education for low-income African- Americans of reproductive age.

The goal of the community outreach and professional development activities are to improve maternal and child health outcomes and reduce infant mortality, particularly among African-American residents in Louisiana, by increasing the amount of culturally-relevant health information available in under-served communities and by improving the effectiveness of BFH staff and partners in engaging members of the community and delivering that information.

In 2018, MEE continued disseminating safe sleep materials to campaign partners across the state. MEE also conducted community canvassing sessions targeting child care providers and conducted Chat & Chew Information Sessions with BFH partners in Thibodaux, Opelousas and Ruston. In addition, MEE conducted three professional development workshops on effective communications for more than 60 service providers from BFH and its partnering organizations.

MEE also developed and produced five digital media ads promoting safe sleep practices to parents. The ads were launched on Facebook during SIDS Awareness Month in October.

MEE conducted a second round of qualitative, focus group research with African-American fathers in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. During the focus groups, MEE tested messaging and materials developed to promote various health programs and services in Louisiana and raise awareness around important public health issues. MEE also got feedback on how the messaging and materials could be enhanced to better connect and resonate with African-American fathers.

Finally, MEE interviewed three providers with years of experience working closely with African-American men, to get their thoughts on how state agencies like BFH can engage African-American fathers to support the health and wellness of their families, particularly of their female partners and children.