INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Florida Blue Foundation is investing $3.5 million in nine maternal health programs across the state. Indian River County’s Healthy Start Coalition is among the recipients set to expand support for postpartum recovery and bereavement care.
The grants are intended to address Florida’s lagging maternal and infant health outcomes. The grants will fund everything from doula services and home visits to mental health counseling and assistance for pregnant women suffering from chronic conditions. Programs will provide care in clinics, homes and early learning centers to close gaps in access — especially important for rural areas.
Indian River County’s coalition plans to apply its share toward improvements in the Postpartum & Bereavement Community Doula Program, which gives emotional, mental health and practical support for families on the Treasure Coast coping with recovery or loss after childbirth.
“These organizations are meeting mothers where they are — in clinics, in their homes, in early learning centers,” said Susan Towler, the foundation’s executive director. “The aim is to address access disparities and drive better outcomes for mothers as well as babies.”
Florida ranks 32nd out of 52 states and territories for preterm births with a rate of 10.7 percent, according to health data cited by the foundation. Some of the challenges include inadequate prenatal care and chronic health conditions among pregnant women. There are also shortages in resources available for underserved communities.
Other funded initiatives are the March of Dimes’ South Florida chapter expanding its Green Cars for Kids program, which offers no-cost rides to pregnancy and specialty appointments in electric vehicles for women with chronic medical conditions. Statewide efforts also include maternal mental health telehealth and expansion of home-visiting programs, as well as peer-support groups for new mothers in early learning settings.
Local Healthy Start coalitions and groups like The Children’s Movement of Florida are also receiving support to roll out community-based doula programs and early motherhood peer groups.
In another fund, the foundation is accepting applications for a $3.2 million grant cycle focused on food security in 2026. That money will support “Food is Medicine” initiatives, like food banks, mobile markets, delivery services and urban agriculture to control chronic diseases and increase access to healthy foods. Applications are due April 22.