1. Downeast Health Services, INC. serves Hancock and Washington Counties with family planning clinical and outreach, WIC, Parents Are Teachers, Too and Maternal Child Health Program. Their project includes
• Outreach to health care professional and community members to increase awareness of the programs and serve more women, including migrant workers. They expect to serve 6,500 women and teens.
• Train staff (46 staff) in preconception care and expand their capacity to provide such care. They will have pre- and post-tests to measure knowledge before class and retention at a date midyear.
•  They will collaborate with Open Door Recovery (substance abusing women) and Mano en Mano (Hispanic support group) to develop trust and services for these two groups to increase access to care and education. Some services will be provided on-site to increase participation by these disparate groups.
• Submit quarterly article on preconception issues to 4 local papers.
• Visit their web-site at http://www.downeasthealth.org/.
2. Child and Family Opportunities, Inc. serving Hancock and Washington Counties (Ellsworth office) project targets low-income pregnant women and preconceptional women for tobacco intervention. They are the primary child care service in the 2 counties, serving in 9 communities. The 2 counties population tends to have low income and low educational levels which tend to have higher smoking rates. Smoking cessation services are limited in this rural area. Building on a successful pilot, and using the Five A’s counseling protocol, they will train CFO’s Head Start and center-based childcare providers in providing enhanced information, education, and support to increase staff consistency of tobacco intervention and motivational efforts to quit. They expect to serve 180 women.
3. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England provides care and support to over 10,000 women and teens at southern Maine offices in Portland, Biddeford, Sanford and Brunswick/Topsham. They will work to improve the health of women of childbearing age, with a focus on preconception health, especially folic acid awareness and consumption and education and services about urinary and reproductive tract infections. They will provide preconception education for their 26 Maine Health Care Associates to improve care and counseling to young, low-income clients. They will develop a web-based intranet resource center with information protocols.
4. Western Maine Community Action (WMCA) WIC and Tri County Health Services in Franklin, Androscoggin and Oxford Counties (Auburn, Norway, Rumford, Farmington and satellite clinics) will address smoking cessation among low and moderate income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women using the 5 A’s method. Recently the WMCA WIC (Women Infants and Children nutrition program) reported a 31% rate of smoking, (122 women). The project would train WMCA staff about smoking cessation, hire a counselor and provide education/support to women. About 2,000 women will be served.