Using Human Centered Design and Quality Improvement Strategies to Drive Health Innovations and Improve Outcomes

A Technical Brief on the U.S. Border States CoIIN Initiative

From 2017-2020, the Border States CoIIN (Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Network) Initiative convened multilevel stakeholders in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas (the U.S./Mexico Border States) to achieve a common aim: to increase early prenatal care utilization by 10% among women in targeted impact areas in these four Border States through the development of place-based improvement strategies that address the social determinants of health (SDOH). The CoIIN was funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and implemented by Project Concern International (PCI), a Global Communities Partner. First trimester prenatal care is a national Healthy People 2030 objective, and a national clinical performance measure for federal health center funding. The Border States CoIIN facilitated a unique model that blended collaborative learning, innovation and quality improvement, and built the capacity of teams to apply these methods to achieve collective impact in a complex public health challenge. The model drew upon the wealth of institutional and on-the-ground experiences of key state and regional partners, including health and social services providers, and women and families themselves.