The infusion of fund dollars into a critical Chester County health care gap by Brandywine Health Foundation, has returned an impressive 3,300 percent growth in participation.

The funding targets a Chester County RoadMAPP (Mobilizing Action through Planning and Partnerships) to Health top priority, reducing racial birth disparities, by bolstering prenatal care via ChesPenn Health Services.

ChesPenn brought in nurse practitioner Hayley Davis for checkups, tests and advice, and greatly expanded its service hours from four hours a week to five days a week, according to the foundation’s 2015 Community Report.

The result of its first 12 months has been exponential growth in prenatal care enrollment — from four expectant mothers to 136.

“I think we’re having a great impact. More women are showing up earlier in their pregnancies, so more are getting the care that they and their babies need at the appropriate time,” Davis said in the article.

Brandywine Health Foundation and ChesPenn also teamed up with the Maternal and Child Health Consortium for health insurance assistance and Chester County Health Department’s Nurse-Family Partnership for in-home visits.

“Our first goal is to ensure that each mother has health insurance, because we know a healthy delivery begins with good medical care,” MCHC Executive Director Alain Oliver said.

The Brandywine Health Foundation formed in 2001 as a public charity, headquartered in the City of Coatesville in beautiful Chester County, Pennsylvania. In just ten years the foundation has made over $14 million in grants, contributions and scholarships – all targeted to the toughest health problems in the greater Coatesville area.

The focus of these grants has been primarily on strengthening the safety net of healthcare providers in the area serving those with little or no health insurance by bringing a health center to Coatesville, helping a dental center get started, and partnering with the local school district to bring behavioral health services to the community.

In addition to direct grants, the foundation secured over $13 million in financing and donations to build the Brandywine Center, a health and housing center in the heart of Coatesville.

For more information on Brandywine Health Foundation’s Birth Disparity initiative read the page from the Foundation’s Annual 2015 Community report below:

BHF Community Report 2015