MCHD/Family Health programs support Maternal Health Awareness Day 1-22-26

January 22, 2026

MCHD/Family Health programs support Maternal Health Awareness Day

MOBILE, Ala. — The Mobile County Health Department (MCHD) is observing Maternal Health Awareness Day. The theme of “Holding Ground on Maternal Health” aims to push for better policies, equitable care, and community action, with specific activities including legislative pushes and webinars.

Dr. Kevin Michaels, Health Officer for Mobile County, points out that MCHD has several departments that provide support to our community on these topics. Included in the list are the following:

• The Healthy Start Enhanced program is dedicated to empowering youth and teens to make informed and positive life choices. Specifically, this program targets pregnant and parenting young adults ages 10 to 24 and operates from the Mobile T.E.E.N. (Teens Empowered through Education and Nurturing) Center, a vital resource in the community. To learn more, call 251-690-8155 or visit https://mchd.org/community-health.
• MCHD’s Office of Nutrition Services manages the local Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (better known as WIC). A monthly average of 10,690 participants received WIC food instruments during the Fiscal Year 2024. To be eligible for WIC, one must be a pregnant woman, breastfeeding woman, postpartum woman, or a child less than 5 years of age. Pregnant women and children 1 to 5 years old may get yogurt, milk, eggs, cheese, juice, cereal, whole grains, beans or peanut butter, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Breastfeeding women may get all these foods plus canned tuna or salmon and extra milk, cheese, and eggs. Infants may get infant formula if not fully breastfed and infant cereal, fruits, and vegetables after 6 months of age. For more information, visit https://mchd.org/wic or call 251-690-8829.
• Family Health is the primary care division of MCHD that offers pediatric care at health centers strategically placed throughout Mobile County. It was accepted into the 2024 Prescription for Play (P4P) Learning Collaborative. This was a 6-month participatory learning experience offered by the Weitzman Institute and funded by the LEGO Foundation. Family Health also offers behavioral health providers at its Keeler Memorial Building in Downtown Mobile. To make a medical or dental appointment with Family Health, call 251-690-8889.
• The Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Program was established to identify critical community strengths and weaknesses, as well as unique health and social issues, associated with poor outcomes of pregnancy. The program is a community-based statewide initiative designed to enhance the health and well-being of women, infants, and families through the review of deidentified cases of fetal (stillbirth) and infant deaths, and voluntary maternal interviews. The Mobile County FIMR Program, the Alabama Baby Coalition, began in 1998 and continues to be active in improving pregnancy outcomes.
• The Maternal & Child Health program provides education services, resources, and referrals for mothers and their babies. The program encourages evidence-based strategies designed to improve maternal, child, and infant health outcomes. The program collaborates with the Healthy Start Enhanced; Fatherhood Initiative; Women, Infants & Children supplemental nutrition services (WIC); and other programs both in and outside of the agency to support optimal maternal and child health.

To learn more about these and other MCHD services, visit https://mchd.org, or call 251-690-8158.

Also, the University of Alabama at Birmingham provides Nurse-Family Partnership of Central Alabama works by having specially trained nurses regularly visit moms-to-be, starting early in the pregnancy and continuing after the baby is born. For additional information, visit https://www.uab.edu/nursing/home/partnerships/clinical/nurse-family-partnership.