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| CWHA's Community Health Workers recruiting
pregnant women CWHA’S Infant Mortality Reduction
Initiative |
The frail-looking two year old
whimpered, "Mommy, mommy, I’m hungry!"
Little Julietta clung to her stuffed toy and whimpered, her
eyes filling with tears. Her mother came quickly to her side,
kissing her forehead. Martha G said she had not slept that
night. Hunger and despair gnawed at her until the early hours
of the morning. She was alone in a strange land, abandoned
by the man she loved. And now, there was another baby on the
way. Although she worked hard as a housekeeper and received
free room and board, there was never much food in the house.
And, there was never enough money for the doctor so she simply
stopped going for prenatal visits. Through the Maternal Child
Health Program at CWHA, this young mother was assisted in
connecting with the resources in her community and received
prenatal care. She was able to receive Medicaid for herself
and her children, re-united with a great aunt with whom she
now lives, received supplemental food and nutritional counseling
at CWHA’s WIC program, and learn to prepare nutritious
food on a limited budget. Weeks later, Martha and her little
girl no longer go to bed hungry, and the doctor assures her
that her unborn child is developing well. Today the future
looks bright for Martha. She has found a new apartment and
is receiving job training and childcare. Stories like these
compel CWHA to ensure a brighter future for our community’s
women and children. Initiated in 1988, CWHA’s Maternal
Child Health Program aims at improving the health of underserved
mothers, infants and children by assisting them to access
prenatal care and other social and support services. An indicator
of the impact of this program is that approximately 90% of
women recruited to the program kept their prenatal appointments.
PROBLEM:
High Infant Mortality rates in immigrant communities
are mainly due to little or no prenatal care. The punitive
provisions in the recent Welfare and Immigration Laws have
intensified the fear of accessing health care services by
many immigrants. Hence, this has resulted in negative consequences,
such as poor birth outcomes. The barriers to accessing prenatal
care include: • Fear of detection on the part of undocumented
women • Risk of deportation if immigrants who are documented
use entitlement, i.e. Medicaid • Inability to pay for
care because of unemployment, low income or no insurance •
Lack of knowledge or unfamiliarity with existing and available
prenatal services • Language barriers.
CALL:
In view of the devastating impact on our communities,
resulting from the disproportionately high rate of infant
mortality, there is a tremendous need for an aggressive campaign
to Fight Infant Mortality. Hence, Caribbean Women’s
Health Association (CWHA) calls on New Yorkers to join the
Campaign to Fight Infant Mortality.
MISSION:
To improve pregnancy outcomes through community
education focusing on the importance of early and continuous
prenatal care and the availability of prenatal care services.
STRATEGY:
To mobilize community residents and involve
community organizations in the campaign efforts. In a effort
to ensure healthy outcomes and promote child wellness, the
emphasis of CWHA’s Maternal Child Health Services is
on engaging high-risk, low income pregnant and parenting women
in early and continuous perinatal care. The strategy used
by CWHA is aimed at reducing and/or eliminating barriers and
improving access to care. This includes assisting families
to navigate and negotiate the health care system, and serving
as advocates, coordinating the range of services they need
through intensive case management, and providing one-on-one
education about entitlement to primary and preventive health
care for themselves and their children.
FEATURES:
Community Forums • Speak-Outs •
Information Dissemination • Health Fairs • Mass
Registration of Pregnant Women • Media Publicity