{"id":18032,"date":"2026-04-15T17:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18032"},"modified":"2026-04-15T17:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:22:15","slug":"every-family-deserves-a-healthy-start","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/every-family-deserves-a-healthy-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 15, 2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Jerlissa McElroy, <a href=\"mailto:Jerlissa.McElroy@vdh.virginia.gov\">Jerlissa.McElroy@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> RaShel.Charles, <a href=\"mailto:RsShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov\">RaShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>Crater Health District Supports Healthy Pregnancies During Black Maternal Health Week<\/em><\/p>\n<p>PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013 Pregnancy is often a time of joy and uncertainty. During <a href=\"https:\/\/blkmaternalhealthweek.com\/\">Black Maternal Health Week<\/a>, April 11-17, the Crater Health District (CHD) is working to help more families experience safe, supported, and healthy pregnancies.<\/p>\n<p>Black women are twice as likely to die from a <a href=\"https:\/\/rga.lis.virginia.gov\/Published\/2026\/RD52\/PDF\">pregnancy-associated cause<\/a> as White women and more likely to die from cardiac related causes. The Maternal &amp; Child Health and the Women Infants and Children (WIC) programs provide support and connect families to healthcare, nutritious food, and items needed to support healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSupporting Black maternal health is essential to building a healthier community for everyone. The continuing disparities facing Black mothers demand focused attention and strong partnerships,\u201d said Crater District Health Director, Dr. Alton Hart, Jr. \u201cWe are committed to ensuring that every family receives respectful quality care and the resources necessary for a healthy start.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Crater Health District offers several services that can help families thrive. CHD offers maternity services at all health department locations. CHD has three <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/family-planning\/doula-state-certification\/\">certified doulas<\/a>\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/maternal-health\/pregnancy-and-postpartum-resources\/doulas-and-community-health-workers\/\">community health workers<\/a> (CHWs) who are trained to support pregnant and parenting people in the community. These trusted individuals teach pregnant individuals about childbirth. They understand different cultures and beliefs so they can help to eliminate disparities in care. They are trained to coach families through the emotional and physical process of pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood. They can also help connect people to resources such as healthy food and help navigate the healthcare system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery Black mother deserves respectful, safe, and culturally centered care throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Our team is committed to listening to families, elevating their voices, and expanding access to the resources that support healthy beginnings throughout pregnancy and into parenthood,\u201d said Jerlissa McElroy, Maternal &amp; Child Health Program Specialist.<\/p>\n<p>The Crater Health District Safe Sleep Program is designed for pregnant individuals and families of children to improve infant care and address health. For those who qualify, the program provides Free Pack &amp; Play portable cribs, safe sleep kits, educational resources, and a team that can help work through questions or issues for families. CHWs can assist with connecting families to WIC, breastfeeding support, finding baby care supplies, and more resources. For more information about the Maternal &amp; Child Health and Safe Sleep Program, please contact <a href=\"mailto:Jerlissa.McElroy@vdh.virginia.gov\">Jerlissa.McElroy@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/wic\/\">WIC<\/a> Program is designed to give children the very best beginning through healthy foods, nutrition education and access to health care. Pregnant women and children (up to age five) who qualify receive monthly food benefits. Benefits include breastfeeding support and eWIC cards for healthy foods such as milk, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. The Crater Health District served approximately 2800 WIC clients last year. Those who participate in the WIC program have improved birth outcomes and increased breastfeeding rates. To be eligible for the program, applicants must have a nutritional and financial need.<\/p>\n<p>These programs help every family get a healthy start. Families can sign up for these services by calling 804-863-1562 or visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/crater\/\">Crater Health District<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 15, 2026 Media Contact: Jerlissa McElroy, Jerlissa.McElroy@vdh.virginia.gov Media Contact: RaShel.Charles, RaShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start Crater Health District Supports Healthy Pregnancies During Black Maternal Health Week PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013 Pregnancy is often a time of joy and uncertainty. During Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, the Crater Health District (CHD) is working [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[692,909,1661,576,372,1660,1565],"class_list":["post-18032","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-alton-hart-jr","tag-black-maternal-health-week","tag-certified-doulas","tag-community-health-workers","tag-crater-health-district","tag-jerlissa-mcelroy","tag-women-infants-and-children-wic"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/every-family-deserves-a-healthy-start\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"April 15, 2026 Media Contact: Jerlissa McElroy, Jerlissa.McElroy@vdh.virginia.gov Media Contact: RaShel.Charles, RaShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start Crater Health District Supports Healthy Pregnancies During Black Maternal Health Week PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013 Pregnancy is often a time of joy and uncertainty. 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