Health Department Helping High Risk Pregnancies

From the Will County Health Department:

JOLIET, IL — The Will County Health Department’s Better Birth Outcomes program is designed to help pregnant women with a variety of different factors that place their pregnancy at risk for complications. Just a small sample of the qualifying conditions would include having a medical condition, , smoking or vaping, being under or overweight, under 15 or over 40 years of age, a victim of domestic violence, homeless or in temporary housing, and other factors as well.

The first step is for these expectant mothers to know that the Better Birth Outcomes program is available to them. One way is that every pregnant woman who participates in the Will County Health Department’s Women, Infants, and Children Food and Nutrition Service program fills out a questionnaire to see if any of the qualifying conditions apply to them. But program coordinator Sylvia Muniz, a Registered Nurse, emphasizes that Better Birth Outcomes is a program that “stands on its own,” and that participating in the WIC program is not a requirement.

The program itself is provided by a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services. The grant includes funding for advertising to get the word out about Better Birth Outcomes’ availability. Also, physicians’ offices are informed, so that if they see a case that would apply, the expectant mother can be referred to the program.

“Once you are accepted into the program, there are monthly visits face-to-face with a registered nurse knowledgable in prenatal care that can be done in our office in the same building as WIC,” Muniz explained. “In addition, we visit the mother at her home once per trimester. There are also other benefits provided on an ‘as needed’ basis, such as gift cards for gasoline so that program participants can get to their doctor’s appointments. As we get to know our clients, we refer them to other services in the community to help their particular situation.”

Muniz also points out that while Better Birth Outcomes provides the education and information, it is up to the participant to take advantage of what is offered to them. And when they do, if can be a wonderful ending to the story.

“We had this one young mom in our program, about 22 or so,” Muniz recalled. “She had all kinds of issues; domestic violence history, overweight, no consistent place to stay. She moved in with her boyfriend, and soon he started hitting her. Then everything else started falling apart; she lost her job, and bed bugs showed up where she was living.

“The program provided her information so she could find shelter and assistance with bill paying. She was also provided with information to obtain legal assistance to help with the bed bug problem for where she was living, forcing the landlord to take action on it. We provided the knowledge and tools, and she worked hard to utilize them.”

After she delivered her healthy newborn son, the Better Birth Outcomes participant regained the self-confidence to leave her abuser. She reconciled and moved back in with her family, started school, and begin working to provide a home for her son.

The Will County Better Birth Outcomes program currently has a caseload of 60, with room for more. The program’s two case managers are May Liang and Lou Lamdagan. For more information, go to www.willcountyhealth.org, or call 815-727-8505.

Better Birth Outcomes Coordinator Sylvia Muniz | image via Will County Health Department