HAPI project expands service area in West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — The West Virginia Healthy Start/Helping Appalachian Parents and Infants also known as the HAPI project has been serving low-income pregnant women and families with children since 2001 providing health care and life skills. Now, the program is expanding to serve four more counties.

We serve women pre-nataly, and then into the postpartum we can serve women and children and families up to 18 months postpartum. We look at a lot of like education assessments, looking at things like prenatal mood disorder and postpartum depression and substance use disorder, smoking and basic needs. You know if people have issues with you know their housing or their utilities, or getting items to make sure that they have a safe environment for their babies,” Project Director Penny Womeldorff said.

According to WVU, the program partners with local organizations to serve communities with infant mortality rates at least 1.5 times the United States national average as well as ones with high percentages of other negative maternal and infant outcomes.

The goal of the project is to turn around those numbers by reducing incidents of preterm labor and low birth rates, which will improve the overall health of mothers and families.

“We really do kind of follow the data and say okay, where’s the highest need and it’s looking at you know infant mortality rates, and that can shift pretty quickly just because we have low, we have a low population, a low number of births you know compared to maybe urban centers,” said Womeldorff.

A recent grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will continue funding for the program and provide it with $1.1 million every year for the next five years. The program previously only served Barbour, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph and Upshur counties, but is now adding Doddridge, Hardy, Marshall and Wetzel counties.

The HAPI project is administered by the WVU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and the WVU Research Office. If you or someone you know might be interested in receiving assistance from the HAPI project, you can talk to your healthcare provider for a referral or contact Penny Womeldorff at 304-680-3580.

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