Community Action Network

What is CAN?
Every Healthy Start project has a Community Action Network (CAN). University of Houston’s Healthy Start C.A.N. provides infrastructure for a comprehensive and collaborative approach for planning. Neighborhood residents, community leaders, consumers, medical and social service providers, faith-based leaders, and business representatives make up the CAN. Healthy Start partners within local communities to build upon the community’s existing resources to improve the quality of, and access to, health care and other supports.

Vision
Reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, increase access to prenatal care and remove barriers to service.

Our Mission
Address the racial disparities in perinatal health outcomes and mobilize efforts to address social determinants of health that can contribute to poor birth outcomes.

Join Us
The UHHS C.A.N. has a General Assembly and four main workgroups. The general assembly CAN meets bimonthly and to aid in CAN members staying up to date on important information related to infant and maternal health, meetings include a brief training. Between the large meetings, the Collect Impact framework is used within the workgroups to strategize goal-oriented solutions. 

• Data - Increase ability to make data driven decisions to reduce infant and maternal mortality in Houston by collecting, analyzing and disseminating data related to local maternal and child health birth outcomes.
• Policy - Help advance efforts for infant and maternal health equity at the local and state level.
• Clinical & Social Services - Connecting relevant organizations to each other to increase access to perinatal support services.
• Participants - Provide a forum for the community voice in efforts to improve the health of infants, mothers, and families.

To receive information about upcoming meeting dates and times, or for more information about how you can get involved, please contact Healthy Start at 713-743-9669 or lperry3@central.uh.edu.

Our CAN Members