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Mothers-to-be and new moms learn of available resources
YOUNGSTOWN
Stacey Harden of Youngstown, due to have her first child at the end of May, said Saturday’s Citywide Baby Shower and Community Health Fair provided her with a lot of good information.
“I learned about safe sleep and the programs available to make it easier to take care of my baby,” said Harden, one of about 80 people who attended the event at Arlington Heights Recreational Center between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The goal of the Citywide Baby Shower, which also provided various health screenings, is to reduce the overall high infant-mortality rate in Youngstown, particularly for minorities, which is about double the white rate in Youngstown and Ohio, said Leigh A. Greene, director of the Youngstown Office of Minority Health.
Saturday’s event was presented by the M/Y (Mahoning/Youngstown) Baby’s 1st Coalition in partnership with UnitedHealthcare and the Mahoning County and Youngstown City health districts.
The Baby’s 1st Coalition is made up of health care and service providers who work together to provide effective interventions and strategies to reduce infant mortality in the community. They aim at getting infants to their first birthday, said Greene.
Of particular importance, she said, is safe sleep, which includes babies sleeping alone on their back in a crib; and birth spacing or waiting at least 18 months between delivery and the next pregnancy.
“We’re here to raise awareness about infant mortality and provide information about resources available to help expecting and new moms, the ones at-risk for infant mortality,” said Melvin Harris of UnitedHealthcare.
Many of the 20-25 vendors at the Baby Shower, which included health screenings and testing by Mercy Health and Youngstown City Health District, are involved in M/Y Baby’s 1st Coalition.
There was an exercise session and prize giveaways every 15 minutes beginning at 12:30 p.m., and UnitedHealthcare offered shower games. Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority distributed information booklets to expectant mothers, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity members offered support for expectant fathers.
Lynnette Rivera of Youngstown, whose first child is due in August, described the shower as “really good. I liked the activities, and there was a lot of helpful information.”
Stacy Givens, also of Youngstown, is expecting her fourth child. She said she came to the Baby Shower for more information about safety. “Everything always changes,” she said.
Mahoning County Pathways Hub, a new division of the county health department, was created to connect pregnant women with available resources to improve birth outcomes.
“We work with agencies such as Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies and Help Me Grow,” said Hub coordinator Michelle Edison of Poland.
The program is funded with a $115,000 first-year grant that was obtained jointly by the county and city health departments from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.
“We enroll pregnant women and connect them with resources that help overcome barriers to positive birth outcomes,” Edison said.
“We are so proud of what we have accomplished with the baby shower. It is another way to communicate to people of the Mahoning Valley about the programs available to help pregnant and new moms,” said Erin Bishop, Youngstown City Health District commissioner.
“As I looked around the room, I saw families sincerely engaged with the agencies, learning new things and smiling. There was a very positive vibe,” Bishop said.