"Part of our work is to highlight the crucial issues that challenge the health status of mothers and infants in Georgia. A major focus of the Council is on increasing the involvement of fathers in the support of mothers and babies," Heck stated.

The Council and DHR have collaborated on two special reports that can offer fathers valuable insight and direction about how to improve maternal and child health, Public Dialogues: Report On Findings, and Maternal and Child Health in Georgia: Birth through Age 5.

Over the past few years, the Council has held public dialogues in seven local communities around Georgia with health care leaders, public and private service providers, faith-based organizations, legislators, educators, and citizens about the health of Georgia's mothers and babies. Discussions focused on identifying effective efforts to support maternal and child health, potential improvements, and communities' greatest needs. Fathers should be aware of the five priority issues that emerged from the dialogues which, if adequately addressed, could dramatically improve the health status of Georgia's mothers and infants: 1) Premature Births (Babies Born Too Early), 2) Teenage Pregnancy, 3) Adolescent Health, 4) Mental Health, and 5) Oral Health. The Public Dialogues report also discusses other key issues affecting maternal and child health, including barriers to adequate health care, racial health disparities, and behavioral risk factors.

The Maternal and Child Health in Georgia report focuses on the health of mothers and young children birth through age five. As an educational resource guide for fathers, it provides information about maternal and child health trends, highlights successful programs in the state, and provides recommendations to improve health outcomes for mothers and young children. There is information related to pre-pregnancy health, prenatal and maternal health, infant health, and early childhood health and development. The report also provides detailed information on programs addressing these issues and where to find additional support.

"The Council wants to ensure that babies are born healthy and that children are raised in a safe and nurturing environment," stated Heck. "Fathers are the key to accomplishing these goals. We hope that fathers all over Georgia will use these eight tips and the two reports to help them be the best fathers they can be. Happy Father's Day."

Both reports are available online at https://health.state.ga.us/programs/maternalinfant/ or https://health.state.ga.us/pdfs/publications/reports/mchreportsummary.04.pdf or may be ordered by calling DHR's Family Health Branch at 404.657.2749. For more help on fatherhood, visit the National Fatherhood Initiative online at https://fatherhood.org or call (301) 948-0599.

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