Itta Bena, Miss. – In a world full of excuses, Kimberly Cross hasn’t one to offer.
A 24-year-old single mother to a 21-month-old daughter and a nine-month old son in one of the poorest regions of America, Kimberly managed to go to college during both pregnancies, receiving a business administration degree in May 2009 from Mississippi Valley State University.
And one more fact about Kimberly: her infant son was born blind.
“It’s been hard,” she said. “But it would have been a lot harder without the MIHOW program. It’s been a godsend.”
MIHOW, or the Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker program, is a collaborative between Mississippi Valley State University and the Delta Health Alliance aimed at improving access to appropriate health services and resources for low-income mothers and expectant mothers.
“We are trying to prevent infant mortality. We are trying to catch these moms while they are pregnant,” said Eunice Bray, director of the Delta Health Initiatives at MVSU. “We go in and try to educate them. We problem solve. Healthy babies and healthy moms is our goal.”
For Kimberly, who signed up for the program at a recruiting seminar just before the birth of her son, help came in the form of monthly at-home visits; of teaching her the “stepping stones” of infant development and learning; of making sure she didn’t miss scheduled doctor’s appointments; and of providing the tools she needed to be a better mom.
“My baby boy likes to listen to music, so they gave me songs. He sometimes reaches for bright lights, so they showed me ways to hold certain colors in front of him and encourage him,” said Kimberly.
And through the MIHOW program, she was able to find money for the tuition she needed to complete her undergraduate degree. “That was big. Otherwise, I would have had to go to school part-time and found a job to pay for it.”

In the Mississippi Delta, the statistics surrounding the MIHOW program are eye opening:

• Of the nearly 300 mothers who have so far enrolled in the program in Leflore and Washington counties, approximately half are teenagers. The youngest was 11.
• Of the mothers in the program, approximately 80 percent live in homes with no fathers.
• Most all of the mothers assisted through the program will not have fathers who are actively involved in their child’s growth and development.

“If we don’t help these moms, the cycle continues,” said Bray. “We’re not talking about just infant mortality, but deformed and mentally ill children. To have these pregnant teens go see their doctors regularly, we view as a success.”
Rosie Thomas, one of the program’s 12 site workers, said a key element is building trust, not just of the mothers, but with the entire family. Much of the information about pregnancy and infant health that they think is correct is wrong. “I had one mom say to me, ‘you answered questions my own mom couldn’t answer.’”
The MIHOW program is infant centered, dealing with issues that may cause young mothers to not work to have a healthy child. And the Delta Health Alliance is helping ensure its success.
“The Delta Health Alliance is the thread that ties us,” said Bray. “They have provided the funding and the support when we need it. They are like the undergirding that holds us all together.”
As for Kimberly’s children, “My daughter exceeded everything they told me about through the stepping stone program. My son is taking a little longer, but he’s finally catching up to other babies his age.”
And Kimberly? “My plan is to get into the master’s program at Valley. And, hopefully, when I graduate with my MBA, the economy will have gotten a whole lot better.”
No excuses.