Rural Health honors local program

Less than a year and a half after the local hospital stopped delivery babies, the program that was implemented to help improve the health of mothers and infants has been honored at the state level.

Indiana State Department of Health’s Office of Rural Health recently honored IU Health Jay’s Health Beginnings program with its Community Impact Award.

“It was very exciting and humbling,” said Julie Teeter, who manages Health Beginnings. “It’s always nice to be awarded for something that you love to do and that you’re passionate about and that the state is recognizing some of the work that we’re doing.

“This isn’t always the normal path that rural communities take when they close OBs … So I think it shows and validates the commitment that IU had to starting a new program that looks a little bit different than what most people do. So it’s nice to be recognized.”

The awarded acknowledges those who have made a “major impact within the community on any healthcare related topic.”

“This year saw the most submissions we’ve ever had for the CAH Awards, so each hospital had to stand out that much more to receive an award,” said David Conrad of the state department of health in a press release. “Jay’s submission caught my attention quickly as it was an attempt to solve one of the biggest problem’s facing rural communities right now.”

In its application for the award, Healthy Beginnings detailed the various services it offers — Teeter noted that about 150 moms and babies have been enrolled in the program since August 2020 — including its milk depot and outpatient lactation program, car seat fitting station, bereavement program and incentives.

IU Health Jay opened its milk depot — moms can donate their excess breast milk — this summer and it has already had more than 3,000 ounces donated. Nurse Ashley Corwin also offers a lactation training program, and Healthy Beginnings can also help provide access to breast pumps.

Healthy Beginnings offers bereavement services with nurse navigator Kari Wymer for those who are struggling post partum.

Through the incentive program, it keeps track of appointments and infant vaccination schedules, offering incentives (in the form of diapers) for those who are staying on track.

And every mom who signs up for the program gets a free car seat, along with education about car seat safety. As of mid-November, 53 car seats had been distributed this year.

“It’s important that we’re meeting needs,” said Teeter. “It’s one less thing that families have to worry about. There’s lots of things to worry about. And if we can (take) one of those things away from them then I feel like we’re helping them with other things as well.”

She added that Healthy Beginnings is working toward starting a safe sleep class that would be incentivized with a free Pack ’n Play.

Healthy Beginnings was launched in summer 2020 after IU Health Jay announced that babies would no longer be born at the hospital. Instead, Dr. Mark Haggenjos said at the time, the hospital would turn its focus to the “90% of what we do to help women through their pregnancy” while no longer being involved in the actual delivery process.

To that end, IU Health Jay has put together a team that includes nurse navigators April Coleman (infant and postpartum moms), Abby Trobridge (infant), Holly Weaver (maternal infant) and Melanie Vinson (child birth educator) along with Teeter, Wymer and Corwin.

Coleman and Wymer both handle car seat fitting and education. Vinson has been offering one-on-one childbirth classes.

“We’ve always had a little bit lower participation with group childbirth classes,” said Teeter. “But when we say we’ll do it one on one with you, we’re getting lots of people to come in …”

Healthy Beginnings focuses on pre-natal and post-natal education, including providing consistent pre-natal care, safe sleep habits and mitigating risk factors such as smoking.

Those are especially key given that when the program started Jay County had an infant mortality rate of 12.3%, well above the state average of 7.2%. It was also well above the state average for babies with a low birthweight (8.7%) and mothers who smoked during pregnancy (20.5%).

Another goal is to get to beginning working with potential moms before they get pregnant.

“We know that planned pregnancies are usually healthier pregnancies,” said Teeter. “And if you can get pregnant when you’re at your most optimum health, that’s always a better outcome.

“If we can get involved and help remove those barriers so women are getting consistent prenatal care we feel like we can move that needle on infant mortality.”

Healthy Beginnings has also received a grant through the state department of health to develop an app for pregnant women and moms. It will be used to send educational materials, monitor blood pressure at home and check in on those who might be dealing with postpartum depression.

Thus far, the program’s staff has worked with Purdue Extension, Healthy Families and Pregnancy Care Center and referrals from primary care physicians and the IU Health Jay Emergency Department to connect with moms. The opportunity for in-person events has been limited because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Teeter said she looks forward to when that will change and to the opportunity to continue to expand.

“I would like to just continue to grow,” she said. “We’re working really hard on getting more into Blackford County for next year.

“We are working with Ball Memorial (Hospital). We’d love to get some navigators into Delaware County as well. So just continuing to try to spread this program into other areas. It’s been really well perceived by providers and patients … We’re trying to expand that so it can be a benefit in more places.”