West Virginia Healthy Start/HAPI Project

Helping Appalachian Parents and Infants

Brief Project Overview:

The HAPI Project is funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services and is integrated with Right From The Start (RFTS). HAPI is administered by the OBGYN Department at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and the West Virginia University Research Corporation. HAPI works with local agencies that employ DCCs (Designated Care Coordinators; licensed professional social workers and registered nurses), in which provide education, resources and services to clients.

The goal of the HAPI Project services is to reduce infant mortality. We hope to accomplish this by reducing the incidence of preterm labor and low birth weight baby’s, and by improving the overall health of women and their families. Prenatally, HAPI is designed to enhance the existing Right From The Start services by working with ALL current RFTS clients. For the postpartum services, women must be screened for eligibility so that we may serve the most at-risk population.

The WV Healthy Start/HAPI Project also provides services to fathers/male partners of active HAPI participants, as we introduce our new Fatherhood Initiative. The HAPI Project strives to provide services to the whole family. We want to make sure that fathers/males partners are not left out of receiving information to help them on their parenting journey. As part of the WV Healthy Start/HAPI Project's Fatherhood Initiative, licensed professionals offer fathers/male partners of active HAPI clients the opportunity to obtain access to the Fathering in 15 Program - 15 free modules developed to enhance parenting/fathering skills. The eligibility of these fatherhood services are dependent upon the father/male partner being in a relationship with an active HAPI participant. 

For additional information regarding WV Healthy Start/HAPI Project services/eligibility, please visit the Services and Eligibility tab.