Background:
Healthy Start communities are funded in 37 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and include six projects along the U.S.-Mexico border. These diverse projects are in the highest risk areas for infant mortality and adverse perinatal outcomes. Along with core systems building activities at the community level, each project provides intensive case management, health education, screening for depression and other core services to women and infants during pregnancy and for two years after delivery.

Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to describe the most prevalent service needs for women and infants in the interconception period and identify innovative approaches to services for these women and their families.

Methods:
This will be a panel presentation describing the results of 2001-2005 work by 35 Healthy Start (HS) projects on serving high risk interconceptional women, an update on the demographics of women currently being served by the 99 current HS projects, the risk status of the women and the most prevalent services needed by the women served, and then a presentation by one of the HS projects with impressive results in increasing spacing between pregnancies in rural isolated community.

Results:
Community-driven Preconception–Interconception services

Conclusion and implications for practice:
Public Health Professions can mobilize together at the state and local level to provide community-based, cultural competent services for high risk women and their families during the preconception and interconception period.